LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




Imp . Tourfaut. 6r .des Cannes Paris 



ST. JOSEPH'S MANUAL : 

to rOH!H8A 

CONTAINING . — 

A SELECTION OF PRATERS 

FOB 

PUBLIC AXD PRIVATE DEVOTION; 

WITH 

EPISTLES AND GOSPELS FOR SUNDAYS 
AND HOLIDAYS. 

COMPILED FROM APPROVED SOURCES. 



By REV. JAMES EITTOX 




BOSTOX: 



THOMAS B. XOOXAX AXD COMPAXY. 



The Library 
of Congress 



WASHINGTON 



COPYRIGHT, 
THOMAS B. NOONAB & CO. 
1877. 



Electrotyped at the Boston Stereotypy Foundry, 
19 Spring Lane. 



Printed by Duffy. Cashman & Co. 
2T Boy 1 stun Street. 




■/{>, ;/'/7, 




NECESSITY OF PRAYER. 



IT is of faith, (writes the pious author of " Anima 
Divota,") that man. without the grace of God, 
cannot do the least thing towards his eternal sal- 
vation. In the natural order, man can. by Iris 
natural faculties and powers, acquire a certain profi- 
ciency, and even arrive at some degree of perfection. 
But not so in the supernatural order ; for every thing 
bearing reference to eternal life is above Ms natural 
power, and consequently requires the aid of divine 
grace. 4i Without me." says our blessed Lord, " you 
can do nothing." Let the action be ever so insignifi- 
cant, says St. Augustine, it is impossible to perform 
it without the help of Him without whom nothing can 
be clone. 

Now, if it be certain that the help of divine 
grace is absolutely necessary to enable a man to 
perform any good work towards obtaining eternal 
life, it is equally certain that the ordinary means by 
which the grace of God is to be attained is that of 
prayer ; for prayer is the key, as the holy fathers call 
it, of the divine treasures, and, generally speaking, 
God confers his supernatural blessings only on those 
who pray for them. The earth gives its fruits only 
when tilled and cultivated according to the appoint- 
ment of Providence ; and, that we may succeed in 
human arts and sciences, it is requisite to employ 

3 



4 



NECESSITY OF PRAYER. 



such means as are ordained by God for the attain- 
ment of that end : and so. that we may obtain from 
Almighty God that aid and assistance which we 
stand in need of to secure our eternal salvation, we 
must have recourse to prayer, that means which lie 
has appointed for us to obtain his supernatural bless- 
ings. ' ' Ask," says your blessed Lord. ' * and you shall 
receive ; seek, and you shall find : knock, and it shall 
be opened unto you." He. therefore, says St. Teresa, 
'•who does not ask shall not receive; he who does 
not seek shall not find : and to him who does not 
knock it shall not be opened." This saint compares 
the man who neglects the important duty of prayer 
to a paralytic, who has hands, but cannot use them, 
and feet, but cannot move them. So the person who 
neglects prayer is afHicted with a spiritual palsy ; for, 
although he has a will and understanding, yet he can- 
not make use of them, nor guide them towards the 
attainment of eternal life. 

The necessity of prayer is so great that nothing 
else can supply its omission. The want of actual 
baptism may be supplied by martyrdom, as it was 
in case of the holy innocents : the want of the sacra- 
ment of penance may be supplied by perfect contri- 
tion ; those who are unable to fast ma}' make up for 
this by almsdeeds : and those whose poverty prevents 
them from relieving the poor may supply this defi- 
ciency by bearing patiently the crosses and afflictions 
which God sends them ; but the omission of prayer 
can be supplied by nothing else, because the person 
who neglects prayer thereby cuts away the channel 
of divine blessing ; for prayer is, in the ordinary 
course of Providence, the means through which they 
are bestowed. " You have not." says St. James, 
4 c because you ask not." Hence the angelic doctor. 
St. Thomas, writes thus: "Every man is bound to 
pray, by the very reason of his being obliged to 



NECESSITY OF PRAYER. 



5 



procure for himself spiritual blessings, which can 
only be obtained from God by the means of prayer." 

This doctrine is confirmed by the teaching and 
practice of all the saints, who evince in the strongest 
terms their belief in the necessity of prayer. Some 
compare the man who neglects prayer to a tree with- 
out roots, which quickly withers and dies, and is only 
fit to be cast into the fire ; others compare him to a 
fortress without walls, which is continually exposed 
to the attacks of the enemy. Some say that a man 
without prayer is like a fish out of water, that dies 
immediately ; others say that he is like a body with- 
out a soul — a corpse, deprived of life and motion. 

Since, then, prayer is absolutely necessary for 
the attainment of eternal life, apply yourself with 
all diligence, O Christian soul, to this holy exercise, 
and take all possible care to perform it with fervor 
and devotion-. Whatever your condition may be, — 
whether you are in honor or abjection, in abundance 
or poverty, — "Let nothing hinder you from pray- 
ing always ; and be not afraid to be justified even 
to death. " * " Pray without ceasing. In all things 
give thanks ; for this is the will of God concerning 
you." | **Take unto you the helmet of salvation, 
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of 
God. by all prayer and supplication, praying at all 
times in the Spirit," { 



Eccles. xviii. 22. 



f 1 Thcss. v. 17, IS. 



JEphes. vi. 17, 18. 



DECORUM IX CHURCH. 



WHEN you enter the church, go to your place 
as quietly as possible. Some people make a 
great deal of noise in getting to their seats. This is 
calculated to disturb the congregation, and is exceed- 
ingly unbecoming. The church is the temple of the 
living God, not merely because it is dedicated to his 
service, but because he dwells therein. The very 
walls of it are sanctified. It is at all times holy, 
and is therefore always to be entered with tiie respect 
due to the house of God. tw The Lord is in his holy 
temple ; let all the earth keep silence before him." 
Do not walk up the aisles with an air of pride, such 
as the people of the world may put on in a ballroom. 
You may be regarded by the world as rich, intelligent, 
and accomplished ; in the church, 3 011 are a poor, 
blind, and sinful being, and should come in all 
humilitj- to implore the grace and mercy of God. 

It is still more necessary to observe these rules, 
if you enter the church after Mass has commenced. 
If you happen to enter during the elevation or com- 
munion, kneel by the door, and remain there during 
those more solemn parts of the Mass ; you can after- 
wards retire quietly to }^our place. 

You should assist with attention at the hol} T Sacri- 
fice. When you are not reading your prayer-book, 
keep your eyes fixed on the altar on which that adora- 
ble Sacrifice is offered, and never gaze around in the 
church. 

6 



DECORUM IN CHURCH. 



7 



Do not leave the church until the priest is retiring 
from the altar to the sacristy. Those who are the 
last to come to it, and the first to rush out of the 
church, seldom derive any benefit from Mass, and 
often do not hear it properly. The practice of all 
pious Catholics is, to spend some time after Mass in 
thanksgiving. 

Do not remain standing before the church, as if 
you had no other object in coming than to see and be 
seen. If you have time before Mass, say the Rosary, 
the Stations of the Cross ; employ the time in spirit- 
ual reading, or in adoring Jesus Christ in the Blessed 
Sacrament. 

Remember what those who have gone before you 
in the faith endured that they might be present at 
the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and reflect with what 
attention and piety they must have assisted at it. 
During the early persecutions, no churches could be 
built. The divine mysteries could not be celebrated 
anywhere in public. The faithful were compelled to 
go into subterranean vaults, called catacombs, where 
Mass was offered on the tombs of the martyrs. The 
candles we burn on our altars remind us of those 
days, and of the brightness of faith that made them 
days, not of mourning, but of jo}^. 

To assist properly at Mass is one of the most 
important acts of the Christian life ; and hence the 
Church declares it to be a mortal sin to neglect to 
hear Mass on Sundays or Holy days. 



8 



MOVABLE FEASTS. 



TABLE OF MOVABLE FEASTS. 



The 
Year 
of 
Our 
Lord. 



1877 Feb. 

1878 Mar. 

1879 Feb. 
1880iFeb. 
18811Mar. 
1882Feb. 
1883Feb. 
1884Feb. 
1885|Feb. 
1886 Mar. 
l887jFeb. 
1888|Feb. 
1889 Mar. 
1890|Feb. 
1891|Feb. 
1892Mar. 
1893.Feb. 
1894 Feb. 
1895,Feb. 
1896 ( Feb. 

1897 Mar. 

1898 Feb. 
1899|Feb. 
1900jFeb. 
1901 Feb. 
1902:Feb. 
1903 Feb. 



1904 
1905 
1906 



Feb. 
Mar. 
Feb. 



1907jFeb. 
1908 Mar 
1909jFeb. 



April 
April 
April 
Mar. 
April 
April 
Mar. 
27 April 
18 April 
10 
2:) 
15 
6 
19 
11 
2 
15 
7 

27 
19 
3 

23 
15 
28 
20 
12 
25 
16 
8 

21 
13 
4 
24 



April 
April 
April 
April 
April 
Mar. 
April 
April 
Mar. 
April 
April 
April 
April 
April 
April 
April 
Mar. 
April 
April 
April 
April 
Mar. 
April 
April 



May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
June 
May 
May 
.May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
May 
30|Mav 
12 May 



10 May 
30 June 
22!june 

6 |May 
26 June 
18AIay 
3 May 

22 June 
14May 
3 June 
19 May 

10 May 
30|June 
15 May 

7 |May 

26 June 

11 May 
3 May 

23 June 
HMay 

27 June 
19 May 
11 May 



^ ? 

ODPh 



May 
June 
June 
May 
June 
June 
May 
June 
June 
June 
June 
.May 
June 
June 
May 
June 
June 
May 
June 
June 
June 
29'June 
21 June 



May 
June 
May 
May 
May 
May 



June 
May 
May 
May 
May 
June 
May 
May 
June 
May 



June 
June 
May 
June 
June 
June 
June 
19May 
7 June 
30'June 



Dec. 2 
Dec. 1 
Nov. 30 
Nov. 28 
Nov. 27 
Dec. 3 
Dec. 2 
Nov. 30 
Nov. 29 
Nov. 28 
Nov. 27 
Dec. 2 
Dec. 1 
Nov. 30 
Nov. 29 
Nov. 27 
Dec. 3 
Dec. 2 
Dec. 1 
Nov. 29 
Nov. 28 
Nov. 27 
Dec. 3 
Dec. 2 
Dec. 1 
Nov. 30 
Nov. 29 
Nov. 27 
Dec. 3 
Dec. 2 
Dec. 1 
Nov. 29 
Nov. 28 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



9 



JANUARY. 



1 A 


2 b 


3 


c 


4 


d 


5 


e 


6 


f 


7 


g 


8 


A 


9 


b 


10 


c 


11 


d 


12 


e 


13 


f 


14 


g 


15 


A 


16 


b 


17 


c 


18 


d 


19 


e 


20 


f 


21 


g 


22 


A 


23 


b 


24 


c 


25 


d 


26 


e 


27 


f 


28 


g 


29 


A 


30 


b 


31 


c 



CIECUMCISIOX OF OUR LORD. 
S. Fulgentius, Bishop and Confessor. 
S. Genevieve, Virgin. 
S. Titus, Bishop of Crete. 
S. Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr. 
EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD. 
S. Lucian, Priest and Martyr. 
8|A|S. Severinus, Bishop of Naples. 
SS. Julian and Basilla, Martyrs. 
S. William, Archbishop of Bourges. 
S. Hyginus, Pope and Martyr. 
S. Tatiana, Martyr. 
S. Veronica, of Milan. Virgin. 
S. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers. 
S. Paul, first Hermit, 
b |S. Marcellus, Pope and Martyr. 
S. Anthony, Abbot. 
Chair of St. Peter, at Rome. 
8. Canute, King of Denmark, Martyr. 
SS. Fabian and Sebastian. Martyrs. 
S. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. 
SS. Vincent and Anastasius, Martyrs. 



S. Peter Xolasco, Confessor. 



On the second Sunday after Epiphany, the most holt 
name of JESUS. 



10 



THE ROMAN" CALENDAR. 



FEBRUARY. 



1 

1 


(L 


9 


G 


Q 
O 


I 


A 


g 


5 


a 


V 


u 


i 


c 


Q 


Cl 


Q 


G 


1 

1 KJ 


f 
1 


1 1 
1 1 


g 


19 


A 


LO 




1 1 


C 




CL 


1 ft 


G 


1 T 
l i 


1 


1 Q 

lo 


g 


10 


A 


— u 


u 


91 


c 


9 9 
- _ 


Cl 


9Q 


G 


24 


f 


25 


g 


26 


A 


27 


b 


28 


c 


29 


a 



S. Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr. 

Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

S. Blase, Bishop and Martyr. 

S. Andrew Corsini. Bishop. 

S. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. 

S. Dorothy, Virgin and Martyr. 

S. Romuald, Abbot. 

8. John of Matha. Confessor. 

S. Apollonia. Virgin and Martyr. 

S. Scholastica, Virgin. 

SS. Saturninus and his companions. Martyrs. 

S. Meletius. Bishop of Antioch, Confessor. 

S. Catharine, of Picci, Virgin. 

S. Valentine. Priest and Martyr. 

SS. Faustinus and Jo vita. Martyrs; 

S. Onesimus, Bishop of Ephesus, Martyr. 

S. Theodulus. Martyr. 

S. Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem, and Martyr. 

S. Mansuetus, Bishop of Milan, and Confessor 

S. Eueherius. Bishop and Confessor. 

S. Severianus, Bishop and Martyr. 

Chair of St. Peter, at Antioch. 

(Vigil.) S. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor. 

S . Matthias, Apostle, in leap years on the 25th . 

S. Felix. Pope and Confessor. 

S. Alexander. Bish. of Alexandria, Confessor. 

S. Leander, Bishop of Seville, Confessor. 

S. Eomanus, Abbot. 

S. Oswald, Bishop of Worcester, Confessor. 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



11 



MARCH. 


1 


d 


S. Albinos, Bishop and Confessor. 


2 


e 


S. Simplicius, Pope and Confessor. 


3 


f 


S. Cimegundes. Virgin* 


4 




S, Casimir. Confessor. 


5 


A 


S. Phocas, Martyr. 


6 


b 


SS. Victor and companions. Martyrs. 


7 


c 


S. Thomas, of Aquino. Confessor and Doctor. 


8 


d 


S. John of God. Confessor. 


9 


e 


S. Frances. Widow. 


10 


f 


The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. 


11 


g 


S. Eulogius, Priest and Martyr. 


12 


A 


S. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor. 


13 


b 


S. Euphrasia. Virgin. 


14 


c 


S. Mathilda. Widow. 


15 


d 


S. Longinus. Martyr. 


16 


e 


S. Abraham. Hermit. 


17 


f 


S. Patrick. Bishop. Apostle of Ireland. 


18 


g 


S. Edward. King of England. Martyr. 


19 


A 


S. Joseph, Spouse of the B. V, Mary. 


20 


b 


S. Cuthbert. Bishop and Confessor. 


21 


c 


S. Benedict. Abbot. 


22 


d 


S. Basil, Priest and Martyr. 


23 


e 


S. Turibius, Bishop of Lima, Confessor. 


24 


f 


S. Gabriel. Archangel. 


25 


O" 


AXXUNCTATIOX^OF THE B. V. MARY. 


ZD 


A. 


S. Ludger. Bishop and Confessor. 


27 


b 


S. John. Hermit. 


28 


c 


S. Guntran, King and Confessor. 


29 


cl 


S. Cyrillus. Deacon and Martyr. 


30 


e 


S. John Climacus. Abbot. 


31 


f 


S. Balbina, Virgin. 


On Friday before Palm Sunday, the Feast of the Compas- 
sion of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



12 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



APRIL. 


1 


g 


S. Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble, Confessor. 


2 


A 


S. Francis, of Paula, Confessor. 


3 


b 


S. Richard, Bishop and Confessor. 


4 


c 


S. Isidore, Bishop of Seville, and Doctor. 


5 


d 


S. Vincent Ferrer, Confessor. 


6 


e 


S. Celestine I., Pope and Confessor. 


7 


f 


S. Hegesippus, Confessor. 


8 


g 


S. Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth. 


9 


A 


S. Mar}' Cleophas, Sister of the B. V. Mary. 


10 


b 


S. Macarius, Bishop of Antioch, Confessor. 


11 


c 


S. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor. 


12 


cl 


S. Victor, Martyr. 


13 


e 


S. Hermenegild, Martyr. 


14 


f 


SS. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, MM. 


15 


o* 

& 


SS. Basilissa and Anastasia, Martyrs. 


16 


A 


S. Lambert, Martyr. 


17 


b 


S. Anicetus, Pope and Martyr. 


18 


c 


S. Perfectus, Priest and Martyr. 


19 


d 


S. Timon, Deacon and Martyr. 


20 


e 


S. Agnes, Virgin. 


21 


f 


S. Anselm, Bishop of Canterbury, and Doctor. 


22 


g 


SS. Soter and Caius, Popes and Martyrs. 


23 


A 


S. George, Martyr. 


24 


b 


S. Fidelis, Martyr. 


25 


c 


S. Mark the Evangelist. 


26 


d 


SS. Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes and MM. 


97 


e 


S. John, Abbot and Confessor. 


28 


f 


S. Vitalis, Martyr. 


29 


g 


S. Peter, Martyr. 


30 


A 


S. Catharine, of Sienna, Virgin. 




On the third Sunday after Easter, Patronage of St. 


Joseph. 



THE ROHAN CALENDAR. 



13 



MAY. 



1 


i) 


2 


V-> 


O 


A 
v.1 


A 


G 


D 




a 
u 




I 


A 


Q 
o 


K 
u 


o 


/-» 

Vv 


10 


rl 


1 1 

A 1 


G 


19 


f 

X 


Jl O- 




14 


A 


±*J 


u 




c 








G 


1 Q 


I 


90 




21 


A 




u 


93 


c 


91 


A 

u 


9^ 


G 


26 


f 


27 


g 


28 


A 


29 


b 


30 


c 


31 


d 



SS. Philip and James, Apostles. 

S . A thanasius , Bishop of Alexandria , Doctor. 

Finding of the Holy Cross. 

S. Monica ? Widow. 

S. Pius V., Pope and Confessor. 

S. John the Apostle, before the Latin Gate. 

S. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr. 

Apparition of 8. Michael, the Archangel. 

S. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop and Doctor. 

S. Antoninus, Bishop of Florence. 

S. Mamertus, Bishop of Vienna, Confessor. 

SS. Nereus and Achilleus„ Martyrs. 

S. John the Silent, Hermit. 

S. Boniface, Martyr. 

SS. Torquatus and his companions. Martyrs. 

S. Uhald, Bishop. 

S. Paschal, Confessor. 

S. Venantius, Martyr. 

S. Peter Celestine, Pope. 

S. Bemardin of Sienna. Confessor. 

S. Yalens, Bishop and Martyr. 

S. John Xepomueen, Martyr. 

S. Desiderius, Bishop and Martyr. 

Feast of B. Y. Mary; as Help of Christians. 

S. Gregory VII., Pope and Confessor. 

S. Philip of Neri, Confessor. 

S. Mary Magdalen, of Pazzi, Virgin. 

S. Germanus, Bishop of Paris, Confessor. 

S. Maximus, Bishop of Triers, Confessor. 

S. Felix, Pope and Martyr. S. Emily. 

S. Petronilla, Virgin. 



On Friday next to tlie Octave of Corpus Christi, the Feast 
of the Sacred Heart of Jestts. 



14 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



1 


e 


2 


f 


3 


g 


4 


A 


5 


b 


6 


c 


7 

8 


d 

e 


9 


f 


10 


g 


11 


A 


12 


b 


13 


c 


14 


d 


15 


e 


16 


f 


17 


§ 


18 


A 


19 


b 


20 


c 


21 


d 


22 


e 


23 


f 


24 


cr 
o 

A 


25 


26 


b 


27 


c 


28 


d 


29 


e 


30 


f 



JUNE. 

S. Pamphilus, Priest and Martyr. 

SS. Marcellus and Peter, Martyrs. 

S. Clotildis. Queen of France. 

S. Francis Caracciolo, Confessor. 

S. Boniface, Bishop, Apostle of Germany. 

S. Norbert, Bishop of Magdeburg. 

S. Robert, Abbot. 

S. Medardus, Bishop and Confessor. 

SS. Primus and Felicianus, Martyrs. 

S. Margaret, Queen of Scotland. 

S. Barnabas, Apostle. 

S. John, A. S. Facundo, Confessor. 

S. Anthony, of Padua. Confessor. 

S. Basil the Great, Bishop and Doctor. 

SS. Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia, Martyrs 

S. John Francis Regis. Confessor. 

S. Avitus, Priest and Confessor. 

SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, Martyrs. 

S. Juliana of Falconieri, Virgin. 

S. Silverius, Pope and Martyr. 

S. Aloysius Gonzaga, Confessor. 

S. Paulinus, Bishop of Nola. 

S. Agrippina, Virgin and Martyr. 

Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. 

S. William, Abbot. 

SS. John and Paul, Martyrs. 

S. Crescent, Bishop and Martyr. 

S. Leo II. j Pope and Confessor. Vigil. 

SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles. 

Commemoration of St. Paul. 



THE ROMAH CALENDAR. 15 



JULY. 


1 


g 


Octave of S. John the Baptist. 


2 


1 


Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 


3 


b 


SS. Eulogius and his companions, MartjTs. 


4 


c 


vS. Flavian. Bishop of Antioeh. 


5 


d 


S. Athanasins. Deacon. Martyr. 


6 


e 


Octave of SS. Peter and Paul. 


7 


f 


S. Benedict XL. Pope and Confessor. 


8 




S. Elizabeth. Queen of Portugal. 


Q 


1 


S. Cyrilkis, Bishop of Gortyna, Martyr. 


10 


b 


The Seven Brethren. Martyrs. 


11 


c 


S. Pius I., Pope and Martyr. 


12 


d 


S. John Gualbert. Abbot. 


13 


e 


S. Anacletus. Pope and Martyr. 


14 


f 


S. Bonaventure. Bishop and Doctor. 


15 




S. Henry, Emperor. Confessor. 


16 


A 


B. Virgin Mart, of Mount Carmel, 


17 


b 


S. Alexius, Confessor. 


18 


c 


S. Camillas, of Lellis. Confessor. 


19 


d 


S. Vincent of Paul. Confessor. 


2o 


e 


S. Jerom iEinilian. Confessor. 


21 


f 


S. Praxedes. Virgin. 


22 


or 


S. Mary Magdalen. 


23 


1 


S. Apollinaris. Bishop and Martyr. 


24 


b 


S. Christina. Virgin and Martyr, ; 


25 


c 


S. James the Apostle. 


20 


d 


S. Ann. Mother of the Blessed Virgin. 


27 


e 


S. Pantaleon. Martyr. 


28 


f 


SS. Xazarius. Ceisus, and others. Martyrs. 


29 


o* 


S. Martha, Virgin. 


30 


1 


SS. Abdon and Sennen. Martyrs. 


31 


b 


S. Ignatius. Founder of the Society of Jesus. 



16 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



1 

1 


c 


2 


u 


Q 

6 


e 


A 

4 


1 


r 




g 




A 

A 


i 


D 


Q 
O 


C 


y 


CI 




e 


1 -I 
1 1 


i 


1 o 

1 2 


g 


1 3 


A 


14 


b 


1 K 
10 


c 


lb 


a 


1 / 


e 


1 Q 

lo 


1 


iy 


g 


OA 


A 


21 


■u 
D 


22 


C 


ZO 


a 


24 


e 


ZD 


■p 
1 


26 


g 


27 


A 


28 


b 


29 


c 


30 


d 


31 


e 



AUGUST. 

S. Peter's Chains. 
S. Alphonsus M. Liguori. Bishop. 
Finding of the relics of S . Stephen, first Martyr 
S. Dominick, Confessor. 
Dedication of S. Mary, ad Nives. 
Transfiguration of our Lord. 
S. Cajetan, Confessor. 

SS.Cyriacus, Largus, and Sniaragdus. Mar- 

S. Romanus, Marty?, [tyrs 

S. Lawrence, Martyr. 

SS. Tiburtius and Susanna, Martyrs. 

S. Clara, Virgin. 

SS. Hippolytus and Cassianus. Martyrs. 

S. Eusebius, Confessor. Vigil with Fast. 

ASSUMPTION OF THE B. V. MARY. 

S. Hyacinthus, Confessor. 

Octave of S. Lawrence. 

S. Helen, Mother of Const antine the Great. 

S. Lewis, Bishop of Toulouse, Confessor. 

S. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor. 

S. Jane Frances de Chantal, Widow. 

Octave of the Assumption. 

S. Philip Beniti. Confessor. 

S. Bartholomew, Apostle. 

S. Lewis, King of France, Confessor. 

S. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr. 

S. Joseph Calasanctius, Confessor. 

S: Augustine, Bishop and Doctor. 

Beheading of S. John the Baptist. 

S. Rose of Lima, Virgin. 

S. Ravmund Nonnatus, Confessor. 



On the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption, the 
Feast of S. Joachim, the Father of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary. 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



17 



SEPTEMBER. 


1 


f 


S. Giles. Abbot. 


2 


g 


S. Stephen. King of Hungary, Confessor. 


3 


A 


S. Simeon Stylites, Confessor. 


4 


b 


S. Rosalia. Virgin. 


5 


c 


S. Lawrence Justinian, Bishop of Venice. 


6 


d 


S. Onesiphorns. Martyr. 


7 


e 


S. Regina. Virgin and Martyr. 


8 


f 


Xativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 


9 


g 


S. Gorgonins. Martyr. 


10 


A 


S. Nicholas Tolentine. Confessor. 


11 


b 


SS. Protns and Hyacinthus. Mart}TS. 


12 


c 


S. Juventius. Bishop and Doctor. 


13 


d 


S. Amatns. Abbot. 


14 


e 


Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 


15 


f 


S. Xicodemus. Martyr. 


16 


ex 


SS. Cornelius and Cyprian. Bishops and MM. 


17 


A 


Stigmata of S. Francis. 


18 


b 


S. Joseph of Cupertino. Confessor. 


19 


c 


SS. Januarius. Bishop, and companions. MM. 


20 


d 


SS. Eusta chius and his companions. Martyrs. 


21 


e 


S. Matthew. Apostle. 


22 


f 


S. Thomas of Villanova. Confessor. 


23 


g 


S. Linus, Pope and Martyr. 


24 


A 


Festival of the B. Virgin Marv, de Jfercede. 


25 


b 


S. Cleophas, Martyr, 


26 


c 


SS. Cyprian and Justina. Martyrs. 


27 


d 


SS. Cosmas and Damian. Martyrs. 


28 


e 


S. \Veneeslaus. Duke of Bohemia. Martyr. 


29 


f 


S. Michael the Archangel. 


30 


g 


S. Jerom, Priest and Doctor. 


On the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity, the 
Feast of the Holy* Name of Mary; and the Sunday follow- 
ing, the Feast of the Seven Dolors. 



2 



18 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



OCTOBER. 


1 


A S. Remioius, Bishop of Rlieims. 


2 


l 

u 


XliL llOLl VjrLAKDIA-N A.NULLS. 


3 


C 


8. Candidus, Martyr. 


4 


Cl 


S. Francis, of Assisium, Confessor. 


5 


e 


SS. Placidus and companions, Martyrs. 


6 


1 


S. Bruno, C onfessor. 


7 


g 


S. Mark, Pope and Confessor. 


8 


A 


S. Bridget. A\ idow. 


9 


D 


8. Dionysius and companions, Martyrs. 


10 


C 


S. Francis Borgia. Confessor. 


11 


a 


8. Germanus, Bishop and Martyr. 


12 


e 


S. A\ ilfred. Bishop and Confessor. 


13 


1 


S. Edward, King ol England. Confessor. 


14 




8. Callistns. Pope and Martyr. 


15 


A 


S. Teresa. A irgin. 


16 





kj. _L/iiims. ljisiiop oi ALeniz. 


17 


c 


S. Hedwiges, A\ idow. 


18 


cl 


8. Luke tiie Evangelist. 


19 


e 


8. Peter of Alcantara. Confessor. 


20 


i 


8. John Cantins. Confessor. 


21 


O' 

5 


o. xiilanon. A boot. 


22 


A 


8. Mark. Bishop of Jerusalem. Martyr. 


23 





8. Ignatius. Bishop of Constantinople. Martyr. 


24 


c 


T» »1 1 11 1 O 1 f 1 1 O A lVll'llKTol 
O. -LlcllJHtlH. LI1L ^rxi L IlcllliiL 1. 


25 


d 


SS. Chrysantlms and Daria, Martyrs. 


26 


e 


8. Evaristns, Pope and Martyr. 


27 


f 


8. Flarentinns, Martyr. 


28 


(T 
& 


SS. Simon and Jude, Apostles. 


29 


A 


8. Theodorns, Abbot. 


30 


b 


8. Serapion, Bishop and Confessor. 


31 


c 


SS. Nemisins and Lncillns, MM. Vigil. Fast. 


The first Sunday of October, the Feast of the Holy 
Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



19 



NOVEMBER. 



1 d FEAST OF ALL SAINTS. 

2 e Commemoration oe all Souls. 
31 f |S. Malaehy. Bishop of Armagh. 

4 g S. Charles Borromeo. Bishop and Confessor. 

5 A S. Elizabeth. Mother of S. John the Baptist. 
G b S. Leonard. Hermit. 

7 c vS. Engelbert. Bishop and Martyr. 

8| d Octave of all Saints. 

9 e Dedication of the Lateran Church. 

10 f S. Andrew Avellino. Confessor. 

11 g S. Martin. Bishop of Tours. 

12 A S. Martin. Pope and Martyr. 

13 b S. Didacns. Confessor. 

14 c |S. Stanislaus Kostka, Confessor. 

15 d S. Gertrude, Virgin. 

1G e S. Edmund. Bishop and Confessor. 

17 f S. Gregory Thaumaturgus. Bishop. 

18 g I Dedication of Churches of SS. Peter and Paul. 
19] A I S. Elizabeth of Hungary. Widow. 
20| b S. Felix of Valois. Confessor. 

c Presentation of the B. Virgin Mary. 
d S. Csecilia. Virgin and Martyr, 
e S. Clement. Pope and Martyr, 
f S. John of the Cross. Confessor, 
o* S. Catharine. Virgin and Martyr. 



21 
22 
23 
24 
25 

26 A S. Peter. Bishop of Alexandria. 

27 b |S. Severinus. Hermit. 

28 c S. Gregory III.. Pope and Confessor. 

29 d S. Saturninus. Martyr. 

30 e S. Andrew the Apostle. 



The first Sunday of Advent is the next after the 26th day 
of November. 



20 



THE ROMAN CALENDAR. 



DECEMBER. 



1 

1 


I 




g 




I 


A 


4 


i, 






c 


n 





7 


e 


Q 

o 


1 




| 


in 


^ V 


1 1 


D 




C 


lo 


cl 


1 4 


e 


1 X 

10 


I 


1 ft 
1 o 


g 


1 7 


A 


lo 


1- 

D 


1 Q 

1 y 


C 


20 


Cl 


21 


e 


22 


I 


2o 


g 


Z4 


A 


25 


b 


26 


c 


27 


d 


28 


e 


29 


f 


30 


g 


31 


A 



S. Bibiana. Virgin and Martyr. 

S. Francis Xavier. Confessor. 

S. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor. 

S. Sabbas. Abbot. 

S. Nicholas. Bishop of Myra. 

S. Ambrose. Bishop of Milan. Doctor. 

Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.* 

S. Leocadia. Virgin and Martyr. 

8. Melchiades. Pope and Martyr. 

S. Damasns. Pope and Martyr. 

S. Synesius, Martyr. 

8. Lucy. Virgin and Martyr. 

S. Spiridion. Bisliop and Confessor. 

Octave of the Conception of the B. V. Mary. 

8. Eusebins. Bishop and Martyr. 

xS. Olympias, Widow. 

Expectation of the Delivery of theB. V. Mary 

S. Timothy. Deacon and Martyr. 

S. Dominiek, Abbot. 

S. Thomas the Apostle. 

S. Ischirion. Martyr. 

S. Victoria. Virgin and Martyr. 

Vigil with Fast. 

NATIVITY OF OUR LORD. S. Eugenia. 
S. Stephen, eirst Martvr. 
8. John. Apostle and Evangelist. 
Holy Innocents. 

8. Thomas. Bishop of Canterbury, Martyr. 
S. Sabinus, Bishop, and companions. Martyrs 
8. Sylvester. Pope and Confessor. 



* The Blessed Virgin Mart, " conceived without sin,' 
is the patroness of the LJnited States. 



HOLIDAYS, ETC. 



HOLYDAYS OF OBLIGATION IX THE UNITED STATES. 

ALL the Sundays of the year. 
The Circumcision of our Lord. 
The Epiphany. 

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
The Ascension of our Lord. 
Corpus Christi. 

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
All Saints. 

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Nativity of our Lord, or Christmas. 

N. B. — Feasts which fall on Sunday are not in- 
cluded in this enumeration. 

(In some Western Dioceses the Circumcision, 
Epiphany, Annunciation, and Corpus Christi are not 
holydays of obligation.) 



Every day in Lent, Sundays excepted. 
The Ember-Days (see below). 
The Vigil of Whitsunday or Pentecost, of the As- 
sumption, of All Saints, and of Christmas. 

N. B. — 1. When a feast falls on Monday, the vigil 
is kept on the Saturday preceding. To fast consists 
in abstaining from flesh-meat and eating but one full 
meal in the da}', not before 12 o'clock m. Besides 



FASTING DAYS. 




21 



22 



HOLIDAYS, ETC. 



this, a collation, or about the one fourth of a meal, is 
allowed in the evening. All who have completed 
their twenty-first year are obliged to observe the fasts 
of the Church, unless exempted for some legitimate 
cause. 

2. In some dioceses, the Friday of the Ember- 
Days is the only Friday in Advent on which there is 
an obligation to fast, 

3. It has been directed by the Sacred Congregation 
de Propaganda Fide, that the feast of SS. Peter 
and Paul be solemnly celebrated in the United States 
on the Sunday immediately after the 29th of June, 
and it is the wish of the Sacred Congregation that the 
Bishops exhort the faithful under their charge to keep 
fast on the Saturday preceding that solemn celebra- 
tion, 

DAYS OF ABSTINENCE. 

ALL Fridays. When Christmas falls on a Friday, 
abstinence is not of precept. Abstinence on 
Saturday has been dispensed with for the faithful of 
the United States, except when a fast falls on that 
day. Soldiers and sailors in the service of the United 
States, even in barracks, garrisons. Occ. are dispensed 
by the indult of Pope Pius IX. from the rule of ab- 
stinence, except on six days in each year, namely, 
Ash Wednesday, Thursday. Friday, and Saturday in 
Holy Week, the Vigil of the Assumption, and Christ- 
mas Eve. 

EMBER-DAYS. 

THE Ember-Days are the Wednesdays, Fridays, 
and Saturdays which occur, 1st. in winter, im- 
mediately after the third Sunday of Advent ; 2d. in 
the spring, immediately after the first Sunday in 
Lent 5 3d,, in the summer, during Whitsun-Week ; ith, 



H0LYDAY3, ETC. 



23 



in the autumn, immediately after the 14th of Sep- 
tember. They are days of fasting, and of great an- 
tiquity in the Church. The object of their observance 
is to consecrate to God the four seasons of the year, 
by penance : to obtain his blessing on the fruits of the 
earth, and to beg of him worthy ministers of the 
Church. The ordination of clergymen generally takes 
place on Ember-Saturday. 

THE TEX COMMAND3IENTS- 

1. T AM the Lord thy God, who brought thee out 
X of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before 
me. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, 
nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, 
or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are 
in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore 
them nor serve them. 

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy 
God in vain. 

3. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. 

4. Honor thy father and thy mother. 

5. Thou shalt not kill. 

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

7. Thou shalt not steal. 

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
neighbor. 

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. 

COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH. 

1.^1 ^HE Catholic Church commands her children, 
JL on Sunda3's and Holy days of obligation, to be 
present at the holy Sacrifice of Mass, to rest from 
servile work on those days, and to keep them holy. 



24 



HO LTD AYS, ETC. 



2. She commands them to abstain from flesh on all 
days of fasting and abstinence, and on fast-days to 
eat but one meal. 

3. She commands them to confess their sins to their 
pastor at least once a year. 

4. She commands them to receive the Blessed Sa- 
crament at least once a year, and that at Easter, or 
during the paschal time, which begins on the first 
Sunday of Lent, and ends on Trinity Sunday, inclu- 
sively. 

5. To contribute to the support of our pastors. 

6. Not to marry within the fourth degree of kin- 
dred, nor privately without witnesses ; nor to solem- 
nize marriage at certain prohibited times. 

N. B. — 1. The fourth council of Lateran, Can. 
21. ordains, "That every one of the faithful, of both 
sexes, after the}' come to the years of discretion, 
shall, in private, faithfully confess all their sins, at 
least once a year, to their own pastor, and take care 
to fulfil, to the best of their power, the penance en- 
joined them ; receiving reverently, at least at Easter, 
the sacrament of the Eucharist, unless, perhaps, by 
the counsel of their* own pastor, for some reasonable 
cause, the}' judge proper to abstain from it for a time : 
otherwise let them be excluded out of the Church 
whilst living, and when the}' die, be deprived of Chris- 
tian burial." 

2. The solemnizing of marriage is forbidden from 
the first Sunday of Advent till after Twelfth Day, 
and from the beginning of Lent till Low Sunday. 

N. B. — No one can be admitted to the Sacraments 
of the Church who enters a Secret Society, or takes 
the oath of any. 



EXPOSITION 

OF 

THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



AS there is but one God, one faith, one baptism, 
one Christ, the Messiah, so there can be but 
one religion ; for God, who is alone the Author of 
all true religion, cannot reveal several without con- 
tradicting himself. Consequently that only can be 
the true Church in which this true religion is prac- 
tised. 

THE CHURCH. 

Q. TTOW is it proved that Christ has always a true 
ll Church upon earth? 

A. From many plain texts of Scripture, in which 
it is promised, or foretold, that the Church, or king- 
dom established by Christ, should stand until the end 
of the world. 4 4 Thou art Peter, (that is, a rock,) 
and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. xvi. 
18.) 4i Go }^e, therefore, and teach all nations, bap- 
tizing them, &c, teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you ; and, behold, I 
am with you all days, even to the consummation of 
the world/' (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20.) " He shall con- 
tinue with the sun, and before the moon throughout 
all generations. In his days (that is, after the com- 
ing of Christ) shall justice spring up, and abundance 

25 



26 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



of peace, until the moon be taken away." (Ps. lxxii. 
5. 7.) It is also clearly proved from the following 
texts: St. John xiv. 16, 17: Ps. lxxxviii. 3, 4. 29, 
36, 37; Is. ix. 7. Lx. 15. 18; 1 Tim. hi. 15; John 
x. 16 : Col. i. 18 ; Eph. v. 25. 29. 

Q. Plow is it proved that the Church of Christ is 
always visible ? 

A. From Is. ii. 1. 2. &c. Mic. iv. 1. 2. where the 
Church of Christ is described as •• a mountain upon 
the top of mountains, exposed to the view of all 
nations flowing into it : " and as " a great mountain 
filling the whole earth," (Dan. ii. 35:) as " a city 
set on a hill which cannot be hid," (Matt. v. 14:) 
as %i a city, whose gates shall be open continually, 
and shall not be shut day or nig] it. that men may 
bring thither the forces of the Gentiles, and that their 
kings may be brought . . . upon the walls of which 
city God has set watchmen, which shall never hold 
their peace day nor night." (Is. lx. 11. 12. and lxii. 



Q. TTO^V is it proved that Christ's Church upon 



A. From many texts of Scripture. K My dove, 
my undefiled. is but one . . . fair as the moon, clear 
as the sun. terrible as an army set in array." (Solo- 
mon's Canticles, vi.) ki Other sheep I have which 
are not of this fold. (viz.. the Gentiles, who were then 
divided from the Jews : ) them also I must bring, and 
they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold 
and one shepherd." (John x. 1(3.) ••There is one 
body and one spirit, as you are called in one hope of 
your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Eph. 
iv. -4. 15.) In fine, as we have seen already, the 
Church of Christ is a kingdom which shall stand for- 
ever, and therefore must be always one. For " every 



6.) 



UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 




THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



27 



kingdom divided against itself shall be made deso- 
late, and every city or house divided against itself 
shall not stand." (Matt. xii. 25.) 

Q. May not a person be saved in any religion? 

A. No ; for St. Paul tells us that ; ' without faith 
it is impossible to please God." (Heb. xi. 6.) And 
St. Peter assures us that 4 'there is no other name 
under heaven given to men, by which we can be 
saved, but the name of Jesus." (Acts iv. 12.) And 
Christ himself tells us, 44 He that believeth not, shall 
be condemned." (Mark xvi. 16.) So that it is mani- 
fest from the Holy Scripture. that true faith is neces- 
sary to salvation. Now. true faith, in order to please 
God and save our souls, must be entire — that is to 
say, we must believe, without exception, all such 
articles as by God and his Church are proposed to be 
believed ; and he that voluntarily and obstinately disbe- 
lieves any one of these articles is no less void of true 
saving faith than he that disbelieves them all ; as St. 
James tells us, with regard to practical duties, 44 Who- 
soever shall keep the whole law, yet offend in one 
point, he is guilty of all," (ii. 10.) Hence St. Paul 
reckons heresies (that is, false religions) among 
those works of the flesh of which he pronounces, 
"that they who do such things shall not inherit the 
kingdom of God." (Gal. v. 20.) And God himself 
tells his Church, 44 The nation and kingdom that will 
not serve thee shall perish." (Is. lx. 12.) 

Q. Can any one be out of the way of salvation 
without the guilt of mortal sin? 

A. No ; only such as, through obstinacy, negli- 
gence, or indifference to matters of religion, will not 
hear the true Church and her pastors, are guilty of 
mortal sin against faith. 44 If he will not hear the 
Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the 
publican." (Matt, xviii. 17.) 4 4 He that heareth you 
(the pastors of the Church) heareth me ; and he that 



28 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



despiseth you despiseth me : and he that despisefh me 
despiseth him that sent me." (Luke x. 16.) 

Q. What is to be said of those whose conscience 
persuades them that they are in the true Church ? 

A. If this error of theirs proceeds from invincible 
ignorance, they may be excused from the sin of 
heresy, provided that, in the sincere disposition of 
their hearts, they would gladly embrace the truth, 
if they could find it out. in spite of all opposition of 
interest, passion. &c. But if this error of their con- 
science be not invincible, but such as they might dis- 
cover, if they were in earnest, in a matter of so great 
consequence, their conscience will not excuse them, 
no more than St. Paul's, whilst, out of blind zeal, he 
persecuted the Church, or the mistaken conscience of 
the Jews. when, putting the disciples of Christ to 
death, they thought they did a service to God. (John 
xvi. 2.) For l< there is a way that seemeth to a man 
right: and the end thereof leads to death.'' (Prov. 
vi. 25.) 

Q. But does not the Scripture say that a remnant 
of all religions shall be saved ? 

A. No : though such words are often used, they 
are nowhere to be found in Scripture. What has 
given occasion to the mistake must have been the 
words of St. Paul. (Eom. ix. 27.) where, quoting 
Is. x. 22. he tells us. •* Though the number of the 
children of Israel be as the sand of the sea. a rem- 
nant (that is. a small part of them only) shall be 
saved." AVTiich remnant the apostle himself explains 
(Rom. xi. 5) of such of the Jewish nation as. at that 
time, by entering into the Church, were saved by 
God's grace. 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



29 



SANCTITY OF THE CHURCH. 

Q. T TOTT is it proved that the Church is holy in 
JLjL her doctrine and terms of communion ? 

A. 1st. Because, as we have seen above from 
Matt. xvi. 18, our Lord Jesus Christ, who cannot 
deceive us, has promised that his Church should be 
built upon a rock, proof against all floods and storms, 
like the house of the wise builder of whom he speaks, 
(Matt. vii. 25,) and that the gates of hell (that is, 
the powers of darkness) should never prevail against 
it. Therefore the Church of Christ could never cease 
to be holy in her doctrine ; could never fall into 
idolatry, superstition, or any errors whatever. 

2d. Because Christ, who is the way, the truth, and 
the life, (John xiv. 6.) has promised to the pastors 
and teachers of his Church to be with them all days, 
even to the consmnmation of the world. (Matt, 
xxviii. 19. 20.) Therefore they could never stray 
into pernicious errors. For how could they go out 
of the right way of truth and life, who are assured 
to have always in their company, for their guide, him 
who is the way. the truth, and the life? 

3d. Because our Lord has promised to the same 
teachers, (John xiv. 16, 17.) 4i I will ask the Father, 
and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may 
abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth ; " 
and (ver. 26) he assures them that this Spirit of 
truth " will teach them all things," and (xvi. 13) 
that he " shall guide them into all truth." How, 
then, could it be possible that the whole body of 
these pastors and teachers of the Church, who, by 
virtue of these promises, were to be forever guided 
into all truth by the Spirit of truth, could at any time 
fall from the truth by errors in faith ? 

4th. Because (Is. lix. 20, 21) God has made a 
solemn covenant that, after the coming of our Re- 



so 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



deemer, his Spirit and his words (that is, the whole 
doctrine which this Redeemer was to teach) should 
be forever maintained by his Church, through all 
generations. 44 The Redeemer shall come to Siori," 
&c. '* This is my covenant with them, saith the 
Lord : my Spirit that is in thee, and my words that I 
have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy 
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out 
of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from 
henceforth and forever." 

5th. Because the Church of Christ is represented 
(Is. xxxv. 8) as a highway, a way of holiness, a way 
so plain and secure that even fools should not err 
therein. How. then, could it ever be possible that the 
Church itself should err ? 

6th. Because pernicious errors in faith and morals 
must needs be such as to provoke God's indignation. 
Now, God Almighty has promised to his Church, (Is. 
liv. 9, 10,) "As I have sworn that the waters of 
Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I 
sworn not to be angry with thee, and not to rebuke 
thee ; for the mountains shall be moved, and the hills 
shall tremble, but my kindness shall not depart from 
thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be re- 
moved, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." 
►So that, as we are assured that there shall not be a 
second flood, so we are that the Church of Christ 
shall never draw upon herself the wrath of God, b}^ 
teaching errors contrary to faith. 

In fine,, the Church is called by St. Paul " the 
pillar and ground of truth," (1 Tim. iii. 15 ;) there- 
fore she cannot uphold pernicious errors. From all 
which it is manifest that the Church of Christ is in- 
fallible in all matters relating to faith, so that she can 
neither add nor retrench from what Christ taught. 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



31 



CATHOLICITY OR UNIVERSALITY OF THE CHURCH. 

Q. TT THAT is to be understood by the catholicity 
VV of the Church? 

A. Not only that the Church of Christ shall always 
be known by the name of Catholic, by which she is 
called in the Apostles' Creed, but that she shall also 
be truly catholic or universal, by being the Church of 
all ages and of all nations. 

Q. How is it proved that the true Church of Christ 
must be the Church of all ages ? 

A. Because the true Church of Christ must be that 
which had its beginning from Christ, and, as he 
promised, was to continue until the consummation of 
the world. 

Q. How is it proved that the true Church of Christ 
must be the Church of all nations ? 

A. From many texts of Scripture, in which the 
true Church of Christ is always represented as a 
numerous congregation spread through the world. 
4 4 In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be 
blessed." (Gen. xxii. 18.) u Ask of me, and I will 
give thee the Gentiles for thine inheritance, and the 
utmost parts of the earth for thy possession." (Ps. ii. 
8 . ) u And the ends of the earth shall remember, 
and shall be converted to the Lord ; and all the kin- 
dreds of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight." (Ps. 
xxi. 28.) u It is a small thing that thou shouldest 
be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. I 
will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that 
thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the 
earth." (Is. xlix. 6.) u Give praise, O thou barren, 
that bearest not ; sing forth praise, and make a joj^ful 
noise, thou that didst not travail with child ; for many 
are the children of the desolate, more than of her 
that hath a husband, saith the Lord. Enlarge the 
place of thy tent, and stretch out the skins of thy 



32 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



tabernacles ; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and 
strengthen thy stakes ; for thou shalt pass on to the 
right hand, and to the left, and tlry seed shall inherit 
the Gentiles," &c. (Is. liy. 1^3.) "From the ris- 
ing of the sun eyen to the going down, my name is 
great among the Gentiles." (Mai. i. 11.) See Is. ii. 
3 ; Mic. iy. 1,2; Dan. ii. 31, &c. 

APOSTOLICTTY OF THE CHURCH. 

Q. T TOW is it proyed that the Church is and should 
JLjL be apostolical? 

A. 1st. Because only those that can derive their 
lineage from the apostles are the heirs of the apostles ; 
and, consequently, they alone can claim a right to the 
Scriptures, to the administration of the Sacraments, 
or any share in the pastoral ministry. It is their 
proper inheritance, which they have received from the 
apostles, and the apostles from Christ. "As the 
Father hath sent me, I also send you." (John xx. 21 . ) 

2d. Because Christ promised to the apostles and 
their successors ' ' that he would be with them all 
days, even to the consummation of the world," 
(Matt, xxviii. 20,) "and that the Holy Ghost, the 
Spirit of truth, should abide with them forever." 
(John xix. 16.) 

INFALLIBILITY OF THE CHURCH. 

Q. T TOW is it proved that the Catholic Church is 
JTJL the true Church of Christ ? 
A. From what has been already said in the fore- 
going sentences. For, 1st. The true Church of 
Christ can be no other than that which has always 
had a visible being in the world ever since Christ's 
time, as we have seen, (page 25.) She was founded 
by Christ himself, with express promises 1 k that the 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



33 



gates of hell should not prevail against her." (Matt. 
xvL 18.) " She is the kingdom of Christ, which shall 
never be destroyed." (Dan. ii. 44.) Therefore the 
true Church of Christ can be no other than the Cath- 
olic, which alone has always had a visible being in 
the world ever since Christ's time : not the Protestant, 
nor any other modern sect, which only came into the 
world since the year 1500. For those sects that came 
into the world fifteen hundred years after Christ came 
into the world fifteen hundred years too late to be the 
religion or Church of Christ. 

2d. The true Church of Christ, in virtue of the 
promises both of the Old and Xew Testament, was 
to continue pine and holy in all ages, eA~en to the end 
of the world, as we have seen. and. consequently, 
could never stand in need of a reformation. There- 
fore that which was of the old true Church of Christ 
must still be so ; and it is in vain to seek for the true 
Church amongst any of the sects or pretenders to 
reformation, because they ail build upon a wrong 
foundation — that is. upon the supposition that the 
Church of Christ was for many ages gone astray. 

3d. The true Church of Christ must be catholic or 
universal. She must not only be the Church of all 
ages, but also more or less the Church of all nations, 
as has also been seen. She must be apostolical by a 
succession and mission derived from the apostles, as 
has been proved already. Xow. these characters 
cannot agree to any of the modern sects, but only to 
the old religion, which alone is the Church of all ages, 
and more or less of all nations, and which descends 
in an uninterrupted succession, continued in the same 
communion, from the apostles down to our days. 
Therefore the old religion alone is the true Church 
of Christ, which can be but oxe, and in one com- 
munion. 

3 



34 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION. 



Q. "XT 7 HAT is to be believed concerning the 
VV Scripture? 

A. That it is to be received by Christians as the 
infallible word of God. 

Q, Is the Scripture clear and plain in all necessary 
points — that is, in all such points wherein our sal- 
vation is so far concerned that the misunderstanding 
and misrepresenting of it may not endanger our eter- 
nal welfare ? 

A. No ; because St. Peter assures us u that in St. 
Paul's Epistles there are some things hard to be under- 
stood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as 
also the other scriptures, to their own - perdition." 
(2 Pet. in. 1G.) 

Q. How. then, is this danger to be avoided? 

A. By taking the meaning and interpretation of 
the Scripture from the same hand from which we re- 
ceived the book itself — that is. from the Church. 

Q. Why may not every particular Christian have 
liberty to interpret the Scripture according to his own 
private judgment, without regard to the interpretation 
of the Church? 

A. 1st. Because i; no prophecy of the Scripture is 
of private interpretation." (2 Pet. i. 20.) 2d. Be- 
cause, as men's judgments are as different as their 
faces, such liberty as this must needs produce as many 
religions almost as men. 3d. Because Christ has left 
his Church and her pastors and teachers to be our 
guides in all controversies relating to religion, and 
consequently in the understanding of Holy Writ. 
u He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and 
others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers, 
for the perfection of the saints, for the work of the 
ministry 5 unto the edification of the body of Christ, 
until we all meet in the unity of faith, and of the 




THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



85 



knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, 
unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ ; 
that we may not now he children tossed to and fro, 
and carried about with every wind of doctrine, in the 
wickedness of men, in craftiness, by which they lie in 
wait to deceive, but, performing the truth in charity, 
we may in all things grow up in him who is the Head, 
Christ." (Eph. iv. 11, &c.) Hence St. John, in his 
First Epistle, (iv. 5, 6,) gives us this rule for the 
trying of spirits: 4 'He that knoweth God heareth 
us, (the pastors of the Church ;) he that is not of God 
heareth us not ; by this we know the spirit of truth 
and the spirit of error." From such clear texts of 
Scripture, it is evident that it belongs to the pastors 
of the Church to instruct unto edification, and explain 
the Scriptures after that manner as the Holy Spirit 
directs ; as it is also the duty of the faithful to receive 
such interpretation as the Holy Spirit dictates. 

APOSTOLICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL TRADITIONS. 

Q. "IT THAT is meant by apostolical traditions? 

V V A. All such points of faith or Church 
discipline which were taught or established by the 
apostles, and have carefully been preserved in the 
Church ever since. 

Q. What difference is there between apostolical 
and ecclesiastical traditions ? 

A. The difference is this — that apostolical tradi- 
tions are those which had their origin or institution 
from the apostles, such as the Lord's day, receiving the 
sacrament, fasting, &c. ; ecclesiastical traditions are 
such as had their institution from the Church, as 
Holydays and fasts ordained by the Church. 

Q. How are we to know what traditions are truly 
apostolical, and what are not? 

A. In the same manner, and by the same authority. 



36 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION*. 



In- which we know what Scriptures are apostolical, 
and what are not — that is. by the authority of the 
apostolic Church, guided by the unerring Spirit of 
God. 

Q. But why should not the Scripture alone he the 
rule of faith, without having recourse to apostolical 
traditions ? 

A. 1st. Because, without the help of apostolical 
traditions, no one can so much as tell what is 
Scripture, and what is not. 2d. Because several 
necessary articles are either not at all contained in 
Scripture, or. at least, are not plain in Scripture with- 
out the help of tradition. 

Q. What texts of Scripture are there in favor of 
tradition ? 

A. kt Therefore, brethren, stand firm, and hold the 
traditions which you have learned, whether by word 
or by our epistle." (2 Thess. ii. 14.) "Ask thy 
father, and he will declare to thee ; thy elders, and 
they will tell thee." (Dent, xxxii. 7.) See 1 Cor. 
xi. 2 ; 2 Thess. iii. (5 : 2 Tim. i. 13, ii. 2. iii. 14. 



ORDINANCES AND CONSTITUTIONS OF THE CHURCH. 

Q. "\T 7TIY do Christians make profession of ad- 
VV mitting and embracing all the ordinances 
and constitutions of the Church ? 

A. Because Christ has commanded. " He that 
heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you 
despiseth me." (Luke x. 16.) " As the Father hath 
sent me, I also send you." (John xx. 21.) Hence 
St. Paul tells us, "Obey your prelates, and be sub- 
ject to them." (Heb. xiii. 17.) 

Q. Why does the Church command Holydays to 
be kept? Is it not enough to keep the Sunday holy? 

A. God, in the old law, did not ordain it enough 
to appoint the weekly Sabbath, which was Saturday, 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



37 



but also ordained several other festivals, as that 
of the Passover, in memory of the de lively of his 
people from the Egyptian bondage ; that of the weeks 
or Pentecost ; that of Tabernacles, &c. ; and the 
Church has done the same in the new law, to celebrate 
the memory of the chief mysteries of our redemption, 
and to bless God in his saints. And our civil author- 
ities act wisely in appointing certain days in the year 
for public thanksgiving, public fast, &c. 

Q. Is it not said in the law, t4 Six days shalt thou 
labor and do all thy work," &c. ? (Exod. xx. 9.) 
Why then should the Church derogate from this part 
of the commandment ? 

A. This was to be understood in case no Hory clay 
came in the week ; otherwise the law would contra- 
dict itself, when, in the 23d chapter of Leviticus, it 
appoints so many other Holy days besides the Sab- 
bath, with command to abstain from all senile 
works on them. 

Q. What is the intention of fasting? 

A. 1. The chief intent of fasting, the ground and 
principle of it, is to do penance for our sins, and by 
that means avert the wrath of God from us, as the 
Ninevites and mairy others did, mentioned in holy 
writ. 2. To mortify the flesh, the better to overcome 
sin, and vanquish the temptations of the devil, accord- 
ing to the words of our Saviour : u This kind of devil 
cannot be cast out otherwise than b}^ prayer and 
fasting." (St. Mark ix. 28.) Hence it is easy to 
conceive that fasting is no superstition, as some erro- 
neous^ pretend ; for we do not abstain from flesh 
meat, as if we believed it to be unclean more on one 
day than another, but because it is more nourishing 
than other things, and therefore we fast from it to 
mortify and chastise our bodies, after the example of 
St. Paul, to bring them into subjection. Nor are we 
so superstitious as, with the Pharisees, to think that 



38 



THE CATHOLIC KELIGIOS. 



the flesh meat, that goes into the mouth. on a fasting 
day. is the thing that defiles the soul : but as disobe- 
dience in eating the forbidden fruit defiled Adam and 
all his posterity, and turned both out of paradise, so 
our disobedience in regaling our appetite with dainty 
dishes of flesh meat in Lent and other fasts, when it 
is forbidden by God and his Church, is a sin that pro- 
ceeds from the heart, and will turn us out of the king- 
dom of heaven. In vain do some reply, that to fast 
from sin is the only fast commanded in Scripture ; 
for, although this is an essential and principal fast, 
without which no other fast can avail, yet it is certain 
we shall not long fast from sin, unless we fast from 
meat and drink too, at certain times, in order to sub- 
due our corrupt nature, that we may more easily ab- 
stain from sin ; and therefore the Scripture teaches 
us to join both these fasts together ; and this is what 
all the Scripture penitents and saints did ; as Moses, 
Elias, Daniel, Josaphat, David, the Rechabites, and 
Ninevites, in the old law ; and in the new, Anne, the 
prophetess, St. John Baptist. St. Paul : they fasted 
from meat and drink, that they might more easily 
overcome sin. Did not our Saviour infinitely abhor 
sin all his life? Yet he fasted literally, so as to bring 
extreme hunger upon himself : and what did he fast 
for, but for our sins, and for our example? 

Great have been the virtue and power of fasting, 
so as to save the wicked often from destruction, as in 
the Xinevites and others : and so as even to cast out 
devils, as our Saviour teaches. Fasting, therefore, 
being an eminent good work, so meritorious, and even 
essential, in a spiritual life, hence the Church, who is 
more careful of us than we are of ourselves, hath 
judged well to compel all the faithful, by precept, to 
fast and do penance, from time to time, throughout 
the whole year ; lest, if we were left to our own dis- 
cretion, we should be apt to forget what we owe both 
to God and to our own souls. 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



39 



THE SACRAMENTS. 

Q. TT THAT is a Sacrament? 

VV A. It is an institution of Christ, consist- 
ing of some outward sign or ceremony, by which 
grace is given to the soul of the worthy receiver. 

Q. How many such sacraments are there found in 
Scripture? 

A. These seven : Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eu- 
charist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and 
Matrimony. 

Q. What scripture is there for Baptism? 

A. 6 4 Unless a man be born again of water and the 
Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of 
God." (John hi. 5.) ki Go teach all nations, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost." (Matt, xxviii. 19.) 

Q. How is it proved that this commission is to be 
understood of baptism administered in water ? 

A. From the belief and practice of the Church of 
Christ in all ages, and of the apostles themselves, who 
administered baptism in water : u See, here is water," 
said the eunuch to St. Philip ; u what hindereth me 
from being baptized ? And the}' both went down into 
the water, Philip and the eunuch ; and he baptized 
him." (Acts viii. 36, 38.) " Can any man forbid 
water," said St. Peter, u that these should not be bap- 
tized who have received the Holy Ghost as well as 
we ? And he commanded them to be baptized in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts x. 47, 48.) 

Q. What is Confirmation? 

A. Confirmation is a sacrament, wherein, by the 
invocation of the Holy Ghost, and imposition of the 
bishop's hands, with unction of holy chrism, a person 
receives the grace of the Holy Ghost, and strength in 
order to the profession of his faith. 

Q. What scripture is there for Confirmation ? 



40 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



A. Where Sts. Peter and John confirmed the Sa- 
maritans : " They prayed for them that they might 
receive the Holy Ghost. Then they laid their hands 
upon them, and they received the H0I3- Ghost." (Acts 
viii. 15. 16.) 

Q. What scripture is there for the Holy Eucharist, 
or Lord's supper? 

A. The whole history of its institution, which is set 
down at large in Matt. xxvi.. Mark xiv.. Luke xx., 
1 Cor. xi. And that this sacrament was to be con- 
tinued in the Church till the Lord comes, that is. till 
the day of judgment, is evident from ISt. Paul. 1 Cor. 
xi. 26^ 

Q. What is meant by the sacrament of Penance? 

A. The confession of sins with a sincere repent- 
ance, and the priest's absolution. 

Q. AVhat scripture is there to prove that the bish- 
ops and priests of the Church have power to absolve 
sinners who confess their sins with a sincere repent- 
ance ? 

A. u Receive ye the Holy Ghost : whose sins you 
shall forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins 
you shall retain, they are retained." (John xx. 22, 
23.) " Amen, I say to you. Whatsoever you shall 
bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven : and 
whatsoever you shall loose upon earth shall be loosed 
also in heaven." (Matt, xxviii. 18.) 

Q. How is it proved, from the texts quoted, that 
the faithful should confess their sins to the pastors of 
the Church, in order to obtain absolution and remis- 
sion of them? 

A. Because, in the text above quoted, Christ has 
made the pastors of the Church his judges in the 
court of conscience, with commission and authority 
to bind or to loose, to forgive or to retain sins, ac- 
cording to the merits of the case, and the disposition 
of the penitents. Now, as no judge can pass sen- 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



41 



tence without baying a full knowledge of the case, — 
which cannot be had in this kind of cases which re- 
gard men's consciences, but by their own confession, 
— it clearly follows, that he who has made the pas- 
tors of his Church the judges of men's consciences, 
has also laid an obligation upon the faithful, to lay 
open the state of their consciences to them, if they 
hope to have their sins remitted. Nor would our 
Lord have given to his Church the power of re- 
taining sins, much less the ke}^s of the kingdom of 
heaven, (Matt. xvi. 19,) if such sins as exclude men 
from the kingdom of heaven might be remitted inde- 
pendently of the keys of the Church. 

Q. Are there any other texts of Scripture which 
favor the doctrine and practice of confession ? 

A. Yes ; it is found in the old law, which was a 
figure of the law of Christ, that such as were infected 
with the leprosy, which was a figure of sin, were 
obliged to show themselves to the priests, and subject 
themselves to their judgment, (Lev. xiii. and xiv., 
and Matt. viii. 4,) which, according to the holy fa- 
thers, was an emblem of the confession of sins in the 
sacrament of penance. And in the same law a spe- 
cial confession of sins was expressly prescribed : 
1 ; When a man or a woman shall have committed any 
of all the sins that men are wont to commit, and by 
negligence shall have transgressed the commandment 
of the Lord, and offended, the^y shall confess their 
sin." (Num. v. 6, 7.) The same is prescribed in the 
New Testament : " Confess your sins one to another," 
(James v. 1G ;) that is, to the priests or elders of the 
Church whom the apostle has ordered to be called for, 
(v. 14.) And this was evidently the practice of the 
first Christians : 4i Many of those who believed came 
confessing and declaring their deeds." ( Acts xix. 18.) 
Q. What is meant by Extreme Unction? 

A. The full description and proof of it is found in 



42 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



Scripture: i; Is any man sick among you. let him 
bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray 
over him. anointing him with oil in the name of the 
Lord ; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick 
man. and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he be 
in sins thev shall be forgiven him." (James v. 14, 15.) 
Q. What is Holy Orders? 

A, A sacrament instituted by Christ, by which 
bishops, priests, &c, are consecrated to their respec- 
tive functions, and receive grace to discharge them 
well. 

Q. "When did Christ institute the sacrament of 
Holy Orders? 

A. At his last supper, when he made his apostles 
priests, by giving them the power of consecrating the 
bread and wine into his body and blood : " Do this 
for a commemoration of me." (Luke xxii. 19.) To 
which he added, after his resurrection, the power of 
forgiving the sins of the penitent. (John xx. 22.23.) 

Q. Where is it proved in Scripture that Holy Or- 
ders confer grace upon those who receive them wor- 
thily ? 

A. The words of St. Paul to Timothy, whom he 
had ordained priest by the imposition of hands : * * Stir 
up the grace of God. which is in thee by the impo- 
sition of my hands." (2 Tim. i. 6. and 1 Tim. iv. 14.) 
" Neglect not the grace which is in thee, which was 
given thee by prophecy, with the imposition of the 
hands of the priesthood." 

Q. When was Matrimony instituted? 

A. It was first instituted by God Almighty, in the 
earthly paradise, between our first parents : and this 
institution was confirmed by Christ in the new law, 
(Matt. xix. 4-6.) where he concludes. ••What God 
hath joined together let no man put asunder." 

Q. How is it proved that Matrimony is a sacra- 
ment ? 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



43 



A. Because it is a conjunction made and sancti- 
fied by God himself, and not to be dissolved by any 
power of man ; as being a sacred sign or mysterious 
union of Christ and his Church: "For this cause 
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall 
adhere to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh. 
This is a great sacrament, but I speak in Christ and 
in the Church." (Eph. v. 31, 32.) 

Q. Why does not the Church allow of the marriage 
of the clergy? 

A, Because, upon their entering into holy orders, 
they make a vow or solemn promise to God and the 
Church to live continently : now, the breach of such 
a vow as this would be a great sin ; witness St. Paul, 
(1 Tim. v. 11, 12.) where, speaking of widows that 
are for mariwing, after having made such a vow as 
this, he says they " have damnation, because they 
have made void their first faith," — that is, their 
solemn engagement made to God. 

Q. But why does the Church receive none to holy 
orders but those that make this vow ? 

A . Because she does not think it proper that they, 
who, by their office and functions, ought to be wholly 
devoted to the service of God and the care of souls, 
should be diverted from these duties by the distrac- 
tions of married life : 4 ' He that is without a wife is 
solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, hew 
he may please God. But he that is with a wife is 
solicitous for the things of the world, how he may 
please his wife." (1 Cor. vii. 32, 33.) 

Q. Why does the Church make use of so many 
ceremonies in administering the sacraments? 

A. To stir up devotion in the people, and reverence 
to the sacred mysteries ; to instruct the faithful con- 
cerning the effects and graces given by the sacraments ; 
and to perform those firings which relate to God's honor 
and the salvation of souls with a becoming decency. 



44 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



Q. Is there any warrant from Scripture for the 
use of such ceremonies ? 

A. Yes : the example of Christ himself, who 
frequently used the like ceremonies. For instance, 
in curing the man that was deaf and dumb, (Mark 
vii. 33, 34 ;) in curing him that was born blind, 
(John ix. 6, 7 ;) in breathing upon his apostles, when 
he gave them the Holy Ghost, (John xx. 22.) &c. 

THE REAL PEESEXCE AND TR AXSI'nsT ANTI ATION. 

Q. \\ 7IIAT is the doctrine of the Christian Church 



vv in relation to the real presence and tran- 
substantiation ? 

A. That in the most holy sacrament of the 
Eucharist there is truly, really, and substantially 
the body and blood, together with the soul and 
divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and that there 
is a conversion (or change) of the whole substance 
of the bread into his body, and of the whole sub- 
stance of the wine into his blood ; which conversion 
(or change) the Church calls transubstantiation. 
Q. What Scripture proofs are there for this? 
A. 1st. 6 1 Whilst they were at supper, Jesus took 
bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to his 
disciples ; and said. Take ye and eat : this is my 
body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and 
gave to them, saying. Drink ye all of it. for this is 
my blood of the New Testament, which shah be shed 
for many for the remission of sins." (Matt. xxvi. 
26.) 4w Take ye : this is my body. This is ray blood 
of the New Testament, which shall be shed for 
many." (Mark xiv. 22. 24.) " This is my body, 
which is given for you. Do this for a commemora- 
tion of me. This is the chalice, the New Testament 
in my blood, which shall be shed for you." (Luke 
xxii. 19, 20.) " Take ye. and eat ; this is my body, 




THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



45 



which shall be delivered for you. This chalice is the 
New Testament in my blood." (1 Cor. xi. 24. 25.) 
Which words of Christ, repeated in so many places, 
cannot be verified in any other way than by a real 
change of the bread and wine into his bod}' and 
blood. 

2d. 4 -The chalice of benediction which we bless, 
is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? 
And the bread which we break, is it not the partak- 
ing of the Lord?" (1 Cor. x. 1(3.) Which interro- 
gation of the apostle is certainly equivalent to an 
affirmation, and evidently declares that in the blessed 
sacrament we really receive the body and blood of 
Christ. 

3d. Whosoever shall eat this bread or drink the 
chalice of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the 
body and blood of the Lord. He that eateth and 
drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to 
himself, not discerning the body of the Lord." (1 
Cor. xi. 27, 29.) Now, how could a person be 
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord by receiv- 
ing unworthily, if what he received were only bread 
and wine, and not the body and blood of the Lord? 
Or where would be the crime of not discerning the 
body of the Lord, if the body of the Lord were 
not there? 

4th. " The bread which I will give is my flesh, for 
the life of the world. The Jews therefore debated 
among themselves, saying. How can this man give 
us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them. Amen, 
amen, I say unto you. Unless you eat the flesh of 
the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not 
have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and 
drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will 
raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat 
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that 
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in 



46 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent 
me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, 
the same also shall live by me. This is the bread 
that came down from heaven : not as yonr fathers 
did eat manna and died ; he that eateth this bread 
shall live forever." (John vi. 51, &e.) 

Q. Are we not commanded (Luke xx. 19) to 
receive the sacrament in commemoration of Christ? 

A. Yes. we are ; and St. Paul assures us what it 
is that is to be the object of our commemoration : 
" As often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this 
chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord until 
he come." (1 Cor. xi. 2G.) What point of Christian 
doctrine can be more clearly proved from the Holy 
Scriptures than the real presence of Christ in the 
adorable sacrament of the Eucharist? And how 
consoling to the devout and pious Christian rever- 
ently to approach and receive the cause of all his 
hope, the subject of all his joy ! He is thus inebriated 
with the love of Him whose celestial presence he 
longs to enjoy in realms of bliss. 

COMMUNION IX OXE KIND. 

Q. 1T7HAT is the doctrine of the Church respect- 
VV ing communion in one kind? 

A. That under either kind alone Christ is received 
whole and entire, and a true sacrament. 

Q. What proofs are there for this ? 

A. From what has been said above, where the 
bread, by consecration, is truly and really changed 
into the body of Christ, and the wine into his blood. 
Now, both faith and reason tell us that the living 
body of the Son of God cannot be without blood, 
nor his blood without his bod}', nor his body and 
blood without his soul and divinity. It is true he 
shed his blood for us, and his soul at his death was 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



47 



parted from his body ; but now he is risen from the 
dead immortal and impassible, and can neither shed 
his blood nor die anymore. 4 ' Christ, rising from 
the dead." says the apostle, " dieth no more ; death 
shall no more have dominion over him." (Rom. vi. 
9 . ) Therefore whosoever receives the body of Christ 
receives Christ himself whole and entire. There is 
no receiving him by parts. 

Q. But does not Christ say, " Unless you eat the 
flesh of the Son of man. and drink his blood, you 
shall not have life in you " ? (John vi. 54.) 

A. Yes ; and, according to the Christian doctrine, 
we do this, though we receive under one kind alone, 
because under either kind we receive both the body 
and blood of Christ ; whereas they who object to it 
receive neither the one nor the other, but only a little 
bread and wine. 

Q. Are not all Christians commanded to drink of the 
chalice ? — u Drink ye all of this." (Matt, xxvi. 27.) 

A. No : that command was only addressed to the 
twelve apostles, who were all that were then present ; 
and they all drank of it. (Mark xiv. 33.) 

Q. Why does the priest, in the Mass, receive in 
both kinds? 

A. Because, the Mass being a Sacrifice in which, 
by the institution of our Lord, the shedding of his 
blood and his death were to be in a lively manner 
represented, it is requisite that the priest, who, as the 
minister of Christ, offers this sacrifice, should, for the 
more lively representing of the separation of Christ's 
blood from his body, consecrate and receive in both 
kinds as often as he says Mass ; whereas, at other 
times, neither priest nor bishop, nor the pope him- 
self, even upon their deathbed, receive any otherwise 
than the rest of the faithful, viz.. in one kind only. 

Q. Are there any texts of Scripture that favor 
communion in one kind? 



48 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



A. Yes. 1st. All such texts as promise ever- 
lasting life to them that receive, though but in one 
kind. "The bread which I will give is my flesh, 
which I will give for the life of the world." (John vi. 
52.) " He that eateth me, the same also shall live 
by me." (ver. 58.) " He that eateth this bread shall 
live forever." (ver. 59.) 

2d. All such texts as make mention of the faithful 
receiving the holy communion under the name of 
breaking of bread without an}' mention of the chalice. 
"They were persevering in the doctrine of the 
apostles, and in communication of the breaking of 
bread, and in prayers." (Acts ii. 42.) " Continu- 
ing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking 
bread from house to house." (ver. 46.) "On the 
first day of the week, when we assembled to break 
bread." (Acts xx. 7.) " He took bread and blessed, 
and brake, and gave to them, and their eyes were 
opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of 
their sight." (Luke xxiv. 30, 31.) "We, being 
many, are one bread, one bod}', all that partake of 
one bread." (1 Cor. x. 17.) 

3d. The apostle St. Paul declares that whosoever 
receives under either kind unworthily is guilty both 
of the body and blood of Christ. " Whosoever shall 
eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord, un- 
worthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the 
Lord." (1 Cor. xi. 27.) 

THE MASS. 

Q. TT 7HAT is the Sacrifice of the Mass? 

VV A. It is the consecration and oblation of 
the body and blood of Jesus Christ under the sacra- 
mental veils or appearances of bread and wine. It 
was instituted by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
at his last supper, where he himself said the first 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



49 



Mas?, and ordained that his apostles and their succes- 
sors should do the same. Do this for a commemo- 
ration of me." (Lnke xxii.) 

Q. What has ever been the particular doctrine of 
the Church regarding the Mas- ? 

A. That in the Mass there is offered to God a tine, 
proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living and 
the dead. 

Q. What is meant by a propitiatory sacrifice? 

A. It is understood to be a sacrifice for obtaining 
mercy, or that by which God is moved to mercy. 

Q. How is it proved that the Mass is such a sac- 
rifice ? 

A. Because, in the Mass. Christ himself, as has 
been proved, is really present, and. by virtue of the 
consecration, is there exhibited and presented to the 
eternal Father under the sacramental A~eils. which, 
by their separate consecration, represent his death. 
Now. what can move God to mercy more than the 
oblation of his only Son. there really present, and, 
under this figure of death, representing to his Father 
that death which he suffered for us. 

Q. AVhat scripture is there for this ? 

A. The words of consecration as they are related. 
6 : This is my body, which is given for you. This is 
the chalice, the New Testament in my blood, which 
shall be shed for you." (Luke xxii. 19. 20.) Now, 
if his blood was shed for ns. (that is. for our sins.) it 
must needs be propitiatory, at least by applying to 
us the fruits of the bloody sacrifice of the cross. 

Q. What other texts of Scripture do the holy 
fathers apply to the sacrifice of the Mass? 

A. The words of God in the first chapter of the 
prophet Malachias. 10. 11. where, rejecting the Jewish 
sacrifices, he declares his acceptance of that sacrifice 
or pure offering which should be made to him in every 
place among the Gentiles. 2d. Those words of the 
4 

I 



50 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



Psalmist, " Thou art a priest forever, according to 
the order of Melchisedech." (Ps. ex. 4.) Why 
according to the order of Melchisedech, say the holy 
fathers, but by reason of the sacrifice of the Eucharist, 
prefigured by the bread and wine offered by Mel- 
chisedech? (Gen. xiv. 18.) 

Q. Why does the Church celebrate the Mass in the 
Latin language? 

A. 1st. Because it is the ancient language of the 
Church, used in the public liturgy in all ages, in the 
western parts of the world. 2d. For a greater uni- 
formity in the public worship ; so that a Christian, in 
whatsoever country he may be. may still find the 
liturgy performed in the same maimer, and in the 
same language, to which he is accustomed at home. 
3d. To avoid the changes which all modern languages 
are daily exposed to. 4th. Because, the Mass being 
a sacrifice which the priest, as minister of Christ, is 
to offer, and the prayers of the Mass being most suited 
to the end, it is enough that they be in a language 
which he understands. Nor is this any way injurious 
to the people, who can accompany him in eveiy part 
of the sacrifice. 

Q. What is the best manner of hearing Mass? 

A. The Mass being instituted for a standing me- 
morial of Christ's death and passion, and being, in 
substance, the same sacrifice as that which Christ 
offered upon the cross, because both the priest and the 
victim is the same Jesus Christ, there can be no better 
manner of hearing Mass than by meditating on the 
death and passion of Christ there represented, and 
putting one's self in the same dispositions of faith, 
hope, charity, repentance, &c, as we should have 
endeavored to excite in ourselves, had we been pres- 
ent at his passion and death on Mount Calvary. 

Q. What are the ends for which this Sacrifice is 
offered to God? 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



51 



A. Principally for these four, which both priest 
and people ought to have in view. 1st. For God's 
honor and glory. 2d. In thanksgiving for all his 
blessings, conferred on us through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 3d. In satisfaction for our sins through his 
blood. 4th. For obtaining grace and all necessary 
blessings from God. 



Q. \\ 7*HAT is the doctrine of the Church regard- 



ed. That there is a Purgatory, and that the souls 
therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the 
faithful — that is, by their prayers and alms, and 
principally by the holy sacrifice of the Mass. 

Q. What is meant by Purgatory ? 

A. A middle state of souls, who depart this life in 
God's grace, yet not without some lesser stains or 
guilt of punishment, which retards them from enter- 
ing heaven. But as to the particular place where the 
souls surfer, or the quality of the torments which they 
suffer, the Church has decided nothing. 

Q. What sort of Christians go to Purgatory? 

A. 1st. Such as die guilty of lesser sins, which are 
commonly called venial ; as many Christians do, who, 
either by sudden death or otherwise, are taken out of 
this life before they have repented of these ordinary 
failings. 2d. Such as have been formerly guilty of 
greater sins, and have not made full satisfaction for 
them to the divine justice. 

Q. Why is it said that they- who die guilty of lesser 
sins go to Purgatory ? 

A. Because such as depart this life before they 
have repented for these venial frailties and imperfec- 
tions cannot be supposed to be condemned to the 
eternal torments of hell, since the sins of which they 



PUR GAT OR Y . 




52 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



are guilty are but small, which even God's best ser- 
vants are more or less liable to. Xor can they go 
straight to heaven in this state, because the Scripture 
assures us. •• There shall not enter into it any thing 
defiled." (Rev. xxi. 27.) Now. every sin. be it ever 
so small, certainly defileth the soul. Hence our 
Saviour assures us that we are to render an account 
even for every idle word. (Matt. xii. 36.) 

Q. What proofs are there for holding to the doc- 
trine of Purgatory ? 

A. Those proofs drawn from Scripture, tradition, 
and reason. 

Q. How is it proved from Scripture? 

A. The Scripture in many places assures us that 
"God will render to every one according to his 
works." (Matt. xvi. 27: Rom. ii. 6; Rev. xxii. 12.) 
Now. this would not be true, if there was no such 
place as Purgatory : for how would God render to 
every one according to his works, if such as die in 
the guilt of any. even the least sin. which they have 
not taken care to blot out by repentance, would 
nevertheless go straight to heaven ? Again : " Every 
man's work shall be made manifest : for the day of 
the Lord shall declare it. because it shall be revealed 
by fire. And the fire shall try every man's work, of 
what sort it is. If any man's work abide which lie 
hath built thereupon, (that is. upon the foundation, 
which is Jesus Christ, ver. 11.) he shall receive a 
reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer 
loss : but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by 
fire.' 3 (1 Cor. iii. 13. &c.) From which text it 
appears that such as in their faith, and in the prac- 
tice of their lives, have adhered to the foundation, 
which is Christ Jesus, so as not to forfeit his grace 
by mortal sin. though they have otherwise been guilty 
of great imperfection, by building wood. hay. and 
stubble (ver. 12.) upon this foundation — it appears 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



53 



that such as those, according to the apostle, must 
pass through a fiery trial at the time that •• every 
man's work shall be made manifest.''' which is not till 
the next life, and that they shall be saved indeed, 
yet so as by fire — that is. bypassing through Pur- 
gatory. 

2d. "Make an agreement with thy adversary 
quickly, whilst thou art in the way with lhm. lest 
perhaps the adversary deliver thee up to the judge, 
and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be 
cast into prison. Amen. I say to thee, thou shaft 
not go out from thence till thou pay the last farthing." 
(Matt. v. 25. 26.) Which text St. Cyprian, who 
lived in the second century, understands to be the 
prison of Purgatory. (Epis. 52 ad Antoninum. ) 

3d. Whosoever shall speak against the Holy Ghost, 
it shah not be forgiven him. neither in this world nor 
in the world to come." (Matt. xh. 32. ) Which words 
plainly imply that some sins which are not forgiven in 
this world will be forgiven in the world to come ; 
otherwise, why should our Saviour make any mention 
of forgiveness in the world to comer Now, if there 
is forgiveness of sins in the world to come, there 
must be a Purgatory : for in hell there is no forgive- 
ness, and in heaven no sin. 

Besides, a middle place is also implied, where 
Christ is said by his spirit to have gone and preached 
to the spirits in prison, which sometime were diso- 
bedient, dtc. (ri Pet. hi. 18—20.) Which prison could 
be no other than Purgatory ; for as to the spirits that 
were in the prison of hell. Christ certainly did not 
preach to them. 

Q. How is Purgatory proved by tradition? 

A. Because, both the Jewish Church, long before 
our Saviour's coming, and the Christian Church, from 
the very beginning, in all ages and in all nations, 
offered prayers and sacrifice for the repose and relief 



54 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



of the faithful departed, as appears, in regard to the 
Jews, from 2 Mach. xii., where this practice is ap- 
proved of ; which books of Machabees the Church, 
says St. Augustine, accounts canonical. (L. 18 de 
Civ. Dei.) But here it may be observed, that, even 
if the books of Machabees were not received as 
canonical, still they would be regarded as a most 
faithful history, recording what was done by the 
Jewish people in behalf of the souls of their departed 
friends long before the coming of Jesus Christ. As 
regards this doctrine in the Christian Church, it has 
ever been most faithfully held, as is xery evident from 
the fathers, the most ancient liturgies, and learned 
writers in all ages. Now, such prayers evidently 
imply the belief of a Purgatory ; for souls in heaven 
stand in no need of prayers, and those in hell cannot 
be bettered by them. 

Q. How is the belief of Purgatory proved from 
reason ? 

A. Because reason clearly teaches these two things : 
1st. That all and every sin, how small soever, deserves 
punishment. 2d. That some sins are so small, either 
through the levity of the matter or for want of full de- 
liberation in the action, as not to deserve eternal pun- 
ishment. From whence it is plain, that besides the 
place of eternal punishment, which we call hell, there 
must be also a place of temporal punishment for such 
as die with little sins, and this we call Purgatory. 

VENERATION AND INVOCATION OF ANGELS AND SAINTS. 

Q. TI 7HAT is the Catholic doctrine regarding the 
VV veneration and invocation of angels and 
saints ? 

A. 1st. That there is an honor and veneration due to 
the angels and saints. 2d. That the}' offer up pray- 
ers to God for us. 3d. That it is good and profitable 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION". 



55 



to invoke them — that is, to have recourse to their 
intercession and prayers. 4th. That their relics are 
to be had in veneration. 

Q. How is it proved that there is an honor and 
veneration due to the angels and saints ? 

A. Because they are God's angels and saints — 
that is. most faithful servants, and messengers, and 
favorites of the King of kings, who. having highly 
honored kim. are now highly honored by him, as he 
has promised, ;i Whosoever shall glorify me, him will 
I glorify/' (1 Kings, xi. 30.) 

2d. Because they have received from their Lord 
most eminent and supernatural gifts of grace and 
glory, which make them truly worthy of our honor 
and veneration ; and therefore we give it to them 
as their due. according to that of the apostle, " Honor 
to whom honor is due." (Rom. xiii. 7.) 

3d. Because the angels of God are our guardians, 
tutors, and governors, as appears from many texts 
of Scripture : " He hath given his angels charge over 
thee to keep thee in all thy ways ; in their hands 
they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot 
against a stone." (Ps. xc. 11, 12.) i; Take heed 
that thou despise not one of these little ones ; for I 
say to you that their angels in heaven always see the 
face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt, xviii. 
19.) "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to 
minister for these, who shall receive the inheritance 
of salvation?" (Heb. i. 14.) It is therefore evi- 
dently the will of God that we should have a religious 
veneration for these heavenly guardians. ;> Behold, 
I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and 
keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the 
place that I have prepared. Take notice of him, 
and hear his voice, and do not think him one to be 
contemned : for he will not forgive when thou hast 
sinned, and my name is in him.' 3 (Ex. xxiii. 20, 21.) 



56 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



4th. Because God has promised to his saints a 
power over all nations: "And he that shall over- 
come, and keep my works unto the end. to him I 
will give power over the nations : and he shall rule 
them with a rod of iron, and as the vessel of a potter 
they shall be broken. 99 (Apoc. ii. 26. 27.) -'Thou 
hast made us to our God a kingdom, and priests : 
and we shall reign on earth." (Apoc. v. 10.) There- 
fore all nations ought to honor the saints, as having 
received from God this kingly power over them. 

5th. Because we have instances in Scripture of 
honor and veneration paid to the angels by the ser- 
vants of God. See Jos. v. 14. 15. 

6th. Because the Church in all ages has paid this 
honor and veneration to the saints by erecting churches 
and keeping holydavs in their memory. 

Q. What is the difference between the honor which 
is given to God and that which is given to the saints ? 

A. There is no comparison between the one and 
the other. God is honored with a sovereign honor, 
as the supreme Lord and Creator of all things, as 
our first beginning and our last end : we must believe 
in him alone, hope in him alone, and love him above 
all things. To him alone we must pay our homage 
of divine adoration, praise, and sacrilice. But as 
for the saints and angels, we are only to reverence 
them with relative honors, as belonging to him, for 
his sake, and upon account of the gifts which they 
have received from him. 

Q. Is there not a particular honor given to the 
Virgin Mary? 

A. Yes. there is. by reason of her eminent dignity 
of mother of God. for which 4h all generations shall 
call her blessed." (Luke i. 48.) As also by reason 
of that fulness of grace which she enjoyed in this 
life, and the sublime degree of glory to which she is 
raised in heaven. But still even this honor which is 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



57 



given to her is infinitely inferior to that which is paid 
to God, to whom she is indebted for all her dignity, 
grace, and glory. 

SAIXTS AND ANGELS PRAY TO GOD FOR US. 

Q. T TOW is it proved that the saints and angels 



A. 1st. Where the prophet heard an angel pray- 
ing for Jerusalem and the cities of Jucla. tw The 
angel of the Lord answered, and said, O Lord of 
hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusa- 
lem, and on the cities of Juda, with whom thou hast 
been angiy? This is now the seventieth year." 
(Zach. i. 12.) 

2d. " The four and twenty ancients fell down be- 
fore the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and 
golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of 
saints." (Apoc. v. 8.) And "the smoke of the in- 
cense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before 
God from the hand of the angel." (Apoc. viii. 4.) 
From which texts it is evident that both the saints 
and angels offer to God the prayers of the saints — 
that is, of the faithful upon earth. 

3d. Because we profess in the Apostles' Creed the 
communion of saints : and St. Paul, speaking of the 
■children of the Church of Christ, tells the Hebrews 
(xii.) that they have a fellowship with the saints in 
heaven. You are come to Mount Sion, and to the 
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and 
to the company of many thousands of angels ; and 
to the Church of the first-born, who are written in 
heaven ; and to God, the Judge of all ; and to the 
spirits of the just made perfect, and to Jesus the 
Mediator of the New Testament, &c. Therefore the 
children of the Church of Christ upon earth are fel- 
low-members with the saints in heaven of the same 




58 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



bochr, under the saine Head, which is Jesus Christ. 
Hence the same apostle (Gal. iv. 26) calls the heav- 
enly Jerusalem our mother, and (Eph. ii. 19) tells us 
that we are fellow- citizens with the saints. There- 
fore the saints in heaven have a care and solicitude 
for us, as being members of the same body, it being 
the property of the members of the same body to be 
solicitous for one another. (1 Cor. xii. 25, 26.) 
Consequently the saints in heaven pray for us. 

4th. Because, according to the doctrine of the 
apostle, (1 Cor. xiii. 8,) it is the property of the virtue 
of charity not to be lost in heaven ; for charity, saith 
St. Paul, never faileth. On the contrary, this heaven- 
1}' virtue is perfected in heaven, where, by seeing God 
face to face, the soul is inflamed with a most ardent 
love for God, and for his sake loves exceedingly his 
children, their brethren here below ; how then can the 
saints in heaven, having so perfect a charity for us, 
not pray for us, since the very first thing that charity 
prompts a person to do is to seek to succor and assist 
those whom he loves ? 

5th. Because, as we find (Luke xvi. 27, 28) the 
rich glutton in hell petitioned in favor of his live 
brethren upon earth, how much more are we to be- 
lieve that the saints in heaven intercede for then 
brethren here ! 

6th. Because (Apoc. vi. 10) the souls of the mar- 
tyrs pray for justice against their persecutors who had 
put them to death, how much more do the}' pray 
for mercy for the faithful children of the Church ! 

7th. Because our Lord (Luke xvi. 9) tells us, 
"Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of in- 
iquhy ; that when you shall fail they may receive you 
into everlasting dwellings/*' Where he gives us to 
understand that the servants of God, whom we have 
helped by our alms, after they themselves have got 
to heaven, help and assist us to enter into that ever- 
lasting kingdom. 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



59 



INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 

Q. \\ 7 HAT is meant by the invocation of saints? 

V V A. Such petitions or requests as are made 
to desire their prayers and intercession for us. 
Q. Do Catholics pray to saints? 
A. If by praying to saints is meant addressing 
ourselves to them as the authors or dispensers of 
grace and glory, or in such manner as to suppose 
they have any power to help us independently of 
God's good will and pleasure, Tre do not pray to 
them ; but if by praying to saints is meant no more 
than desiring them to pray to God for us. in this 
sense we hold it both good and profitable to suppli- 
cate the prayers of the saints. 

Q! How is it proved that it is good and profitable 
to desire the saints and angels in heaven to pray to 
God for us ? 

A. Because it is good and profitable to desire the 
servants of God here upon earth to pray for us : 
" For the prayer of a just man availeth much." 
(James v. 16.) Moses by his prayers obtained mercy 
for the children of Israel. (Ex. xxxii. 11. 14 :) and 
Samuel by his prayers defeated the Philistines. (1 
Sam. vii. 8-10.) Hence St. Paul, in almost all his 
Epistles, desires the faithful to pray for him. (Pom. 
xv. 30 ; Eph. vi. 18. 19 ; 1 Thess. v. 25 ; Heb. xiii. 
18.) And God himself (Job xlii. 8) commanded 
Eliphaz and his two friends to go to Job. that Job 
should pray for them, promising to accept of his 
prayers. Xow. if it be acceptable to God. and good 
and profitable to ourselves, to seek the prayers and 
intercession of God's servants here on earth, must it 
not be much more so to seek the prayers and inter- 
cession of the saints in heaven ; since both their 
charity for us and their intercession with God is much 
greater now than when they were here upon earth ? 



60 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



Q. Is there any danger, by acting thus, of giving 
to the saints the honor which belongs to God alone ? 

A. ~So : it is evident that to desire the prayers and 
intercession of the saints is by no means giving them 
an honor which belongs to God alone ; so far from it, 
that it would even be a blasphemy to beg of God to 
pray for ns ; because whosoever desires any one to 
pray for him for the obtaining of a grace or blessing 
supposes the person to whom he thus addresses him- 
self to be inferior and dependent of some other, by 
whom this grace or blessing is to be bestowed. 

Q. Is there any reason to think that the saints and 
angels have any knowledge of our addresses or peti- 
tions made to them ? 

A. Yes, we have. 1st. Because our Lord assures 
us 4c that there is joy before the angels of God upon 
one sinner doing penance." (Luke xv. 10.) Now, if 
they rejoice at our repentance, they consequently 
have a knowledge of our repentance ; and if they have 
a knowledge of our repentance, what reason can we 
have to doubt of their knowing our petitions also? 
And what is said of the angels is also to be under- 
stood of the saints, of whom our Lord tells us Ci that 
they are equal to angels." (Luke xx. 36.) 

2d. Because the angels of God are always amongst 
us, and therefore cannot be ignorant of our requests ; 
especially since, as we have seen from Apoc. v. 8 
and viii. 4, both angels and saints offer up our prayers 
before the throne of God, and therefore must needs 
know them. 

3d. Because it appears from Apoc. xi. 15 and x. 
1, 2, that the inhabitants of heaven know what passes 
upon earth. Hence St. Paul, speaking of himself 
and his fellow-apostles, saith, kC TTe are made a 
spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men." 
(1 Cor. iv. 9.) 

4th. We cannot suppose that the saints and angels, 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



61 



who enjoy the light' of glory, can be ignorant of such 
things as the prophets and servants of God in this 
world have often known by the light of grace, and 
even the very devils by the light of nature alone ; 
since the light of glory is so much more perfect than 
the light of grace or nature, according to the apostle, 
(1 Cor. xiii. 2,) 4i For now we see through a glass in 
an obscure manner, but then face to face ; now I know 
in part, but then I shall know even as I am known " 
— that is, by a most perfect knowledge. Hence it is 
written, "We shall be like to him, (God,) because 
we shall see him as he is." (1 John iii. 2.) Now, 
it is certain that the servants of God in this world, 
by a special light of grace, have often known things 
that passed at a great distance ; as Elisha (2 Kings 
v.) knew what passed between Naaman and his 
servant Gehazi, and (2 Kings vi.) what was done in 
the king of Syria's private chamber. It is also 
certain that the devils, by the mere light of nature, 
know what passes amongst us, as appears from many 
places in the book of Job, and by their being our 
accusers. (Apoc. xii. 10.) Therefore we cannot 
reasonably question but that the saints in heaven 
know the petitions which we address to them. 

Q. Are there any other texts of Scripture which 
justify the pious practice of invoking the pikers of 
the angels and saints ? 

A. Yes ; we have the example of God's best 
friends and servants. Thus Jacob begs the bless- 
ing of Ms angel guardian for his two grandsons, 
Ephraim and Manasses : " God, in whose sight my 
fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, God, that 
feedeth me from my youth until this da} r . The 
angel that delivereth me from all evils bless these 
bo}~s." (Gen. xlviii. 15, 16.) The same Jacob 
"wept and made supplication to an angel," (Osee 
xii. 4 ;) and St. John, writing to the seven churches 



62 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



of Asia, petitions for the intercession of the seven 
angels in their favor: " Grace be unto you, and 
peace from Him who is, and who was. and who is to 
come, and from the seven spirits which are before his 
throne." (Apoc. i. 4.) 

RELICS. 

Q. "V\ 7HAT is meant by Relics? 

V V A. The bodies or bones of saints, or any- 
thing else that has belonged to them. 

Q. What grounds are there for paying veneration 
to the relies of the saints ? 

A. Besides ancient tradition and practice of the 
first ages, attested by the best monuments of antiquity, 
we are warranted to do so by many illustrious mira- 
cles done at the tombs, and by the relics of the saints, 
(see St. Augustine. L. 22. of the C ity of God, chap. 
8,) which God, who is truth and sanctity itself, would 
never have effected . if this honor paid to the precious 
remnants of his servants was not agreeable to him. 

Q. Are there any instances in Scripture of miracles 
being done by relics ? 

A. Yes ; we read of a dead man raised to life by 
the bones of the prophet Eliseus, (4 Kings xiii. 21 ;) 
and " from the body of Paul were brought unto the 
sick handkerchiefs and aprons, and the diseases 
departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of 
them." (Acts xix. 12.) 

IMAGES. 

Q. TT THAT is the Catholic doctrine as to Images? 

VV A. The Catholic Church holds that the 
images or pictures of Christ, of his blessed Mother 
ever virgin, and of other saints, are to be had and 
retained, and that due honor and veneration are to 
be given them. 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



63 



Q. Do Catholics worship Images? 

A. No, by no means, if by worship is meant divine 
honor ; for this they do not give to the highest angel 
or saint, much less to Images. 

Q. Do Catholics pray to Images ? 

A. No, they do not ; since common sense teaches 
that they can neither see. nor hear, nor help us. 

Q. Why, then, do Catholics pray before an Image 
or Crucifix? 

A, Because the sight of a good picture or image, 
for example, of Christ upon the cross, helps to 
enkindle devotion in our hearts towards Him that has 
loved us to that excess as to lay down his life for the 
love of us. 

Q. Where is it proved that it is lawful to make or 
keep the Images of Christ and his saints ? 

A. From the Scripture itself, and the command 
of God to Moses to make two cherubim of beaten 
gold, and place them at the two ends of the mercy- 
seat, over the ark of the covenant, in the very 
sanctuary. (Ex. xxv. 18-21.) And there, says he, 
will I give orders, and wiU speak to thee over the 
propitiatory, and from the midst of the two cherubim, 
which shall be upon the ark of the testimony, all 
things which I will command the children of Israel 
by thee. (ver. 22.) God also commanded a serpent 
of brass to be made, for the healing of those who 
were bitten by the fiery serpent : which serpent was 
an emblem of Christ. (Xum. xxi. 8, 9 ; John hi. 
14, 15.) 

Q. But is it not forbidden (Ex. xx. 4) to make 
the likeness of any thing in heaven above.- or in the 
earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth ? 

A. It is forbidden to make to ourselves' any such" 
image or likeness — that is. to make it our God. or' 
put . our trust in it. or give it the honor, which belongs- 
to God f , which is explained by the. following words": 



64 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



'•Thou shalt not adore them, (for so both the 
Septuagint and the Vulgate translate it.) nor serve 
them." Otherwise, if all likenesses were forbidden 
by this commandment, we should be obliged to 
destroy all statues and paintings of our Washington, 
our heroes, and our statesmen, which is by no means 
meant according to this commandment. 

Q. What kind of honor do Catholics give to the 
Images of Christ and his saints? 

A. A relative honor. 

Q. What is meant by a relative honor? 

A. That honor which is given to a thing, not for any 
intrinsic excellence or dignity in the thing itself, but 
barely for the relation it has to something else : as 
when Christians bow to the name of Jesus, which is 
an image or remembrance of our Saviour to the ear, 
as the crucifix is to the eye. 

Q. How is it proved that there is a relative honor 
due to the Images of Christ and his saints ? 

A. From the dictates of common sense and reason, 
as well as of piety and religion, which teach us to 
express our love and esteem for the persons whom we 
honor, by setting a value upon all things that belong 
to them, or have any relation to them. Thus a 
dutiful child, a loving friend, values the pictures of a 
father or friend ; and those who make no scruple of 
abusing the image of Christ would severely punish 
the man that would abuse the image of then friend. 



IXDULGENXES. 

Q. W 7HAT is meant by an Indulgence? 

VV A. An Indulgence is a free release from 
the external satisfactory works of penance, in con- 
sideration of the sinner's internal fervor ; or it is a 
commutation of one satisfaction for another, of a 
longer penance for a shorter ; and hence it is styled 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



65 



an indulgence, or favor done us. Thus an Indulgence 
■which requires that the individual be in a state of 
grace has nothing to do with the pardon of sin. but 
only with that debt of temporal penance which the 
sinner has to discharge after the eternal guilt of his 
sin has been forgiven. The council of Trent proposes 
nothing else to be believed concerning " indulgences" 
than that * * the power to grant them has been given 
to the Church by Jesus Christ, and that the use of 
them is very beneficial to the soul." (Sess. 25.) 

Q. Can it be proved from Scripture that there is a 
punishment often due on account of our sins after the 
sins themselves have been remitted ? 

A. Yes. This evidently appears in the case of 
King David. (2 Kings xii..) where, although the 
prophet Nathan, upon his repentance, tells him, 
" The Lord hath taken away thy sin," (ver. 13.) 
yet he denounces unto him many terrible punishments, 
(ver. 10-12. 14.) which should be inflicted by reason 
of this sin, which accordingly afterwards ensued. 

Q. What is the faith of the Catholic Church con- 
cerning Indulgences ? 

A. It is comprised in these words of the profession 
of faith : "I affirm that the power of indulgences 
was left by Christ in the Church, and that the use of 
them is most wholesome to Christian people." 

Q. Upon what scripture is this grounded? 

A. The power of granting indulgences was left by 
Christ to the Church, when he says. " I will give to 
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : and what- 
soever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound 
also in heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon 
earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matt. xvi. 
19.) And we have an instance in Scripture of St. 
PauFs granting an indulgence to the Corinthian whom 
he had put under penance for incest. " To whom you 
have forgiven any thing, (he spoke of the incestuous 
5 



06 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



sinner whom he had desired them now to receive.) I 
forgave also : for, if I have forgiven any thing, for 
your sakes have I done it in the person of Christ " — 
that is. by the power and authority received from him. 
(2 Cor. if. 10.) 

Indulgences are of two lands — some called Par- 
tial : and these are given for days, or periods of forty 
days, called ** Quarantines," or for a year or years. 
Others are called Plenary, or. as it is sometimes said 
technically. " in form of a Jubilee." By Partial In- 
dulgences, or days that is. or quarantines, or years, 
so much temporal penalty is remitted to the recipient 
as he would have had imposed upon him of old by 
the penitential canons of the Church, which penances 
were given in days, quarantines, or years. Plenary 
Indulgences, or Indulgences in form of Jubilee, in 
their effect are one and the same thing ; the only dif- 
ference being, that where Indulgences are granted in 
form of Jubilee. Confessors have power of jurisdic- 
tion conferred on them to absolve from reserved 
cases, to dispense from or commute all simple vows, 
&c. By all such Indulgences, all temporal penalty 
is remitted which we owe to God for those sins for 
which, though pardoned, we are still debtors. 

The penalty of sin is twofold, being partly eternal, 
and partly temporal. Guilty which deprives us of 
grace and the friendship of God. together with the 
eternal penalty of sin. is entirely remitted to us by 
means of the infinite merits of Jesus Christ in the 
Sacrament of Penance, provided only that we ap- 
proach that Sacrament with worthy dispositions. C)n 
the other hand, as regards the temporal penalty of 
sin. inasmuch as it is not commonly wholly remitted 
to us by this Sacrament . very much remains to be 
discharged, either in this life by means of good works 
or penance, or else in the life to come by means of 
the sufferings of Purgatory. 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



67 



To gain an Indulgence, certain conditions are requi- 
site. It is requisite, for instance, that we should be 
in a state of grace, that is, living in the grace of God ; 
for whosoever before God is in the guilt of unremitted 
sin, and liable to its eternal penalty, is not. and can- 
not be. while continuing in that state, in a capacity 
to receive the remission of the temporal penalty. 
The Church, in opening the Treasury of Holy Indul- 
gences, has ever obliged faithful Christians to do some 
good works under specified circumstances of time, 
place, such as prayer, almsdeeds. confession, com- 
munion. &c. 

Tv dioever are desirous of gaining Indulgences, while 
they do their utmost to gain them, should endeavor 
at the same time to do worthy fruits of penance, and 
by means of other wholesome penal works, as well as 
works of mercy and devotion, pay to the Divine jus- 
tice some satisfaction for the misdeeds they may have 
done. 

SUPREMACY OF ST. PETER AND HIS SUCCESSORS . 

Q. TT7HAT is the Catholic doctrine as to the 
\ V Pope's Supremacy? 

A. It is comprised in these two articles : 1st. That 
St. Peter, by divine commission, was head of the 
Church under Christ. 2d. That the Pope or Bishop 
of Rome, as successor to St. Peter, is at present head 
of the Church in all spiritual matters, and Christ's 
vicar upon earth. 

Q. How is St. Peter's Supremacy proved? 

A. 1st. From the very name of Peter, or Cephas, 
which signifies a rock : which name our Lord, who 
does nothing without reason , gave to him who before 
was called Simon, to signify that he should be as a 
rock or foundation, upon which he would build his 
Church, according to what he himself declared, when 



68 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION. 



he told him, " Thou art Peter, (that is, a rock.) and 
upon this rock I will build my Church, and the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt, 
xvi. 18.) 

2d . From the following words : " I will give unto 
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; and what- 
soever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound 
also in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon 
earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matt. xvi. 
19.) Where, under the figure of the keys of the 
kingdom of heaven, our Lord insured to St. Peter 
the chief authority in his Church ; as, when a king 
gives to one of his officers the keys of a city, he 
thereb}' declares that he makes him governor of that 
city. 

3d. " The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Sa- 
tan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as 
wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that tin' faith 
fail not, and thou, being once converted, confirm thy 
brethren." (Luke xxii. 31, 32.) In which text our 
Lord not only declared his particular concern for Pe- 
ter, in praying for him that his faith might not fail, 
but also committed to him the care of his brethren, 
the other apostles, in charging him to confirm or 
strengthen them. 

4th. kk Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of 
John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to 
him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Pie 
saith to him, Feed nry lambs. He saith to him again, 
Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? He saith to 
him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He 
saith to him. Feed my lambs. He saith to him the 
third time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Pe- 
ter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 
Lovest thou me? And he said to him, Lord, thou 
knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love thee. 
He saith to him, Feed my sheep." (John xxi. 15, &c.) 



THE CATHOLIC RELIGION". 



09 



In which text our Lord, in a most solemn manner, 
thrice committed to St. Peter the care of his whole 
flock, of his lambs as well as his sheep, without ex- 
ception — that is, of his whole Church. 

Q. How is it proved that this commission given 
to St. Peter descends to the Pope or Bishop of 
Rome? 

A. Because, b}^ the unanimous consent of the fa- 
thers, and the tradition of the Church in all ages, the 
Bishops of Rome are clearly proved to be the succes- 
sors of St. Peter, who translated his chair from An- 
tioch to Rome, and died Bishop of Rome. Hence 
the see of Rome, in all ages, has been called the see 
of Peter, the chair of Peter, and absolutely the see 
apostolic, and in that quality has, from the beginning, 
exercised spiritual jurisdiction over all other churches, 
as appears from the best and most authentic records 
of Church histor}\ 

Now, granting the Supremacy of St. Peter, which 
has been proved above from plain scripture, it must 
consequently be allowed that his supremac} r , which 
Christ established for the better government of his 
Church, and maintaining of unit}', was not to die 
with St. Peter, any more than the Church should 
cease to exist, which he promised should stand for- 
ever. For how can any Christian imagine that Christ 
should appoint a head for the government of his 
Church and maintaining of unity during the apostles' 
time, and design another kind of government for suc- 
ceeding ages, when there was like to be so much more 
need of a head ! Therefore we must grant that St. 
Peter's Supremacy was by succession to descend to 
some individual. Now, who has so fair a title to his 
succession as the Bishop of Rome, his lawful succes- 
sor? 

Q. Why is the Roman Catholic Church styled the 
mother of all churches ? 



70 



PRAYERS 



Because, as has already been shown, her bishop 
is the successor of St. Peter, and Christ's vicar upon 
earth, and consequently the father and pastor of all 
the faithful : and therefore this Church, as being the 
see of St, Peter, is the mother of all churches. 



PRAYER F<>R GUIDANCE IXTO TRUTH. 

[Composed by F. Thayer, a Protestant minister, when he 
was in doubt and uncertainty, and in the use of which he 
obtained for himself the gift of faith.] 

GOD of all goodness ! Almighty and eternal Fa- 
ther of mercies, and Saviour of mankind ! I 
implore thee, by thy sovereign goodness, to enlighten 
my mind, and to touch my heart, that, by means of 
true faith, hope, and charity. I may live and die in 
the true religion of Jesus Christ. I confidently be- 
lieve that, as there is but one God, there can be but 
one faith, one religion, one only path to salvation, 
and that every other path opposed thereto can lead 
hut to perdition. This path. my God, I anxiously 
seek after, that I may follow it and be saved. There- 
fore I protest before thy divine majesty that I will 
follow the religion which thou shalt reveal to me as 
the true one. and will abandon, at whatever cost, that 
wherein I shall have discovered errors and falsehood. 
I confess that I do not deserve this favor, in conse- 
quence of my many sins, for which I am truly peni- 
tent, seeing they offend a God who is so good, so 
holy, and so worthy of love : but what I deserve not 
I hope to obtain from thine infinite mercy : and I be- 
seech thee to grant it unto me through the merits of 
that precious blood which was shed for us sinners by 



PRAYERS 



71 



thine only Son Jesns Christ our Lord, who liveth and 
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
one God. world without end. Amen. 



DIVINE and adorable Saviour ! thou who art 



V_y the way. the truth, and the life I I beseech thee 
to have mercy upon X.. and bring him (or her) to the 
knowledge and love of thy truth. Thou. O Lord, 
knowest all his darkness, his weakness, and his 
doubts : have pity upon him. O merciful Saviour ; 
let the bright beams of thy eternal truth shine upon 
his mind : clear away the cloud of error and preju- 
dice from before his eyes : and may he humbly submit 
to and embrace with his whole heart the teaching of 
thy Church. 0. let "not the soul tor whom I pray be 
shut out from thy blessed fold ! Unite him to thyself 
in the sacraments of thy love, and grant that, by 
partaking of the blessings of thy grace in this life, 
he may come at last to the possession of those eter- 
nal rewards which thou hast promised to all those 
who believe in thee, and who do thy will. Hear this 
my petition. O merciful Jesus ! who. with the Father 
and the Holy Ghost. livest and reignest ever and 
ever. Amen. 



PR AVER FOR ANOTHER* S CONVERSION. 




PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS 



RELATIVE TO THE 



SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 



He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved.— Mark xvi. 16. 

A NY lay person can administer baptism in case 



should know how to perform this ceremony. 

Private baptism, which should always be given 
when a child is in evident danger of death, is ad- 
ministered in the following manner : 

Take common water, and pour it on the head of 
the infant in form of a cross, saying, at the same 
time, 4k I baptize thee in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." 
When the person conferring baptism is pronouncing 
the above words, he should be in the very act of 
pouring the water on the child. 

A parent should not baptize his own child, unless 
no one else could be procured who knew how to do 
it ; otherwise he would contract an impediment of 
spiritual affinity with his consort. 

It is dangerous and highly improper carelessly to 
defer for several weeks the administration of bap- 
tism. 

When a child has been privately baptized in case 
of necessity, it should, if it survive, be taken to the 
church, in order that the ceremonies maybe supplied ; 
and the clergyman should be informed at the time 
that the infant has already received private baptism. 




consequently every Christian 



72 



SACRA^IEXT OF BAPTISM. 



73 



The sponsors (that is, the godfather and godmother 
in baptism) are bound to answer for the child, to 
make a profession of faith in his name, and to see 
afterwards that he be instructed in his religion, if 
this duty be neglected by the parents. Hence it is 
plain that the sponsors should always be practical 
members of the Catholic Church ; and it would be 
very improper in a parent to request any person not 
a Catholic to act in that capacity, because it cannot 
be reasonably expected that he who dissents from our 
holy faith should assume the responsibility of looking 
to the religious education of a Catholic child, or that 
he should be qualified to accomplish this duty. 

The sponsors should also know their prayers, and be 
acquainted with the principal mysteries of religion. 

The name given to a child at its spiritual regen- 
eration should be that of a saint, whom it should be 
taught from its early years to consider as a special 
patron and intercessor at the throne of God. 

The priest or person who baptizes and the sponsors 
contract a spiritual affinity with the person baptized, 
and with the parents of that person, which affinity is 
an impediment to marriage. But the godfather and 
godmother do not contract this alliance with each 
other. AVhen a person has been privately baptized, 
and is afterwards presented by the sponsors to receive 
the solemn blessing and unction, no spiritual affinity 
is contracted. 



PROFESSION OF CATHOLIC FAITH. 



IN. N., with a firm faith believe and profess all 
, and every one of those things which are contained 
in that creed which the Holy Catholic (Roman) 
Church maketh use of, to wit: I believe in one God, 
the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, 
of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, 
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, and 
born of the Father before all ages: God of God; 
light of light; true God of the true God, begotten, 
not made ; consubstantial to the Father, by whom all 
things were made : who. for us man. and for our sal- 
vation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate 
by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was 
made man ; was crucified also for us under Pontius 
Pilate ; he suffered and was buried ; and the third 
day he arose again according to the Scriptures : he 
ascended into heaven ; sits at the right hand of the 
Father ; and is to come again with glory to judge 
the living and the dead ; of whose kingdom there 
shall be no end. And in the Floly Ghost, the Lord 
and Lifegiver, who proceeds from the Father and the 
Son; who, together with the Father and the Son, 
is adored and glorified, who spoke 03^ the prophets. 
And (I believe) One Holy. Catholic, and Apostolic 
Church : I confess one baptism for the remission of 
sins : and I expect the resurrection of the dead, and 
the life of the world to come. Amen. 

74 



A PROFESSION OF CATHOLIC FAITH. 



75 



I most steadfastly admit and embrace apostolic and 
ecclesiastical traditions, and all other observances 
and constitutions of the Church. 

I also admit the Holy Scripture according to that 
sense which our holy Mother the Church has held, 
and does hold ; to which it belongs to judge of the 
true sense and interpretations of the Scriptures. 
X either will I ever take and interpret them otherwise 
than according to the unanimous consent of the 
Fathers. 

I also profess that there are truly and properly 
seven sacraments of the new law, instituted by Jesus 
Christ our Lord, and necessary for the salvation of 
mankind ; though not all for every one, to wit : 
Baptism, Confirmation. Eucharist, Penance, Extreme 
Unction, Order, and Matrimony ; and that they confer 
grace : and that of these, baptism, confirmation, and 
order cannot be reiterated without sacrilege. I also 
receive and admit the received and approved ceremo- 
nies of the Catholic Church, in the solemn acuministra- 
tion of all the aforesaid sacraments. 

I embrace and receive all and every one of the things 
which have been defined and declared in the holy 
council of Trent, concerning original sin and justifi- 
cation. 

I profess, likewise, that in the Mass there is offered 
to God a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for 
the living and the dead ; and that in the most holy 
sacrament of the Eucharist there is truly, realty, and 
substantially the body and blood, together with the 
soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ : and that 
there is made a conversion of the whole substance of 
the wine into the blood, which conversion the Catholic 
Church calls transubstantiation. I also confess, that 
under either kind alone Christ is received whole and 
entire, and a true sacrament. 

I constantly hold that there is a Purgatory, and 



76 



A PROFESSION OF CATHOLIC FAITH. 



that the souls therein detained are helped by the 
suffrages of the faithful. 

Likewise, that the saints, reigning together with 
Christ, are to be honored and invocated. and that 
they offer prayers to God for us. and that their relics 
are to be respected. 

I most firmly assert that the images of Christ, of 
the Mother of God. ever Virgin, and also of the 
saints, ought to be had and retained, and that due 
honor and veneration is to be given them. 

I also affirm that the power of indulgences was left 
by Christ in the Church, and that the use of them is 
most wholesome to Christian people. 

I acknowledge the Holy. Catholic, Apostolic. Ro- 
man Church, for the Mother and Mistress of all 
churches ; and I promise true obedience to the Bishop 
of Rome, successor to St. Peter, prince of the apos- 
tles, and vicar of Jesus Christ. 

I likewise undoubtedly receive and profess all other 
things delivered, defined, and declared by the sacred 
canons and general councils, and particularly by the 
holy council of Trent, and all things delivered, de- 
fined, and declared by the (Ecumenical Council of 
the Vatican, particularly concerning the Primacy and 
Infallible Teaching of the Roman Pontiff. 

And I condemn, reject, and anathematize all things 
contrary thereto, and all heresies whatsoever, con- 
demned, rejected, and anathematized by the Church. 

This true Catholic faith, without which no one can 
be saved, I, X. JV., do, at this present, freely profess 
and sincerely hold, and I promise most constantly to 
retain and confess the same entire and unviolated, 
with God's assistance, to the end of my life. Amen. 



ON THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 



THERE is nothing which can more effectually 
assist you to recollect the presence of God. and 
remind you of the duty of consecrating all that you 
say or do to his honor and glory, than the frequent 
and devout use of the sign of the cross. This sacred 
sign has always been used by the Church to signify 
that all graces and spiritual assistance are derived 
from the cross and passion of Jesus Christ. When 
accompanied with corresponding sentiments, it is an 
excellent form of prayer, a fervent act of faith, of 
hope, and of charity, besides being a public and 
solemn profession of our belief in those mysteries of 
our religion, which we must all believe and profess in 
order to be saved : namely, the Unity and Trinity of 
God, the incarnation, death, and resurrection of our 
Saviour. 

The sign of the cross should always be dear to you 
as the sign of a Christian, the badge of a Christian, 
and the glory of a Christian ; as the distinctive mark 
of Christ's true followers : as a memorial of the suffer- 
ings of Christ on the cross, and of your own deliver- 
ance from eternal death by and through those suffer- 
ings. To merit, by an application of this saving sign, 
the fruits of that cross and passion which it repre- 
sents, you should accustom yourself to make it de- 
voutly, frequently, and openly. You should make it 
devoutly* that is. with gratitude for the blessings which 

77 



78 



OX THE SIGX OF THE CROSS 



you enjoy through that passion, and with sincere sor- 
row for your sins. Remember that a precipitate, dis- 
respectful, as it were half method of signing yourself 
with the sign of the cross, is in reality to dishonor it. and 
to liken yourself to those who professedly deride and 
contemn it. Xext, you should make the sign of the 
cross frequently. This is inculcated by the example 
of the primitive Christians, who by this sacred sign 
consecrated themselves to God. and implored his 
blessing in every action. It is also strongly recom- 
mended by all the great saints and fathers of the 
Church : among the rest, by the devout St. Ephrem, 
who says, speaking on this subject: •* Cover thyself 
with the sign of the cross, as with a shield, signing 
with it thy Limbs and thy heart. Arm thyself with this 
sign at thy studies, and at all times, for it is the con- 
queror of death, the opener of the gates of paradise, 
the great guard of the Church. Fail not to carry 
this armor about with thee in every place, every day 
and night, every hour and moment. Whether thou 
art at work, or eat. or drink, or travel, or whatsoever 
else thou dost, sign and arm thyself with the saving 
sign of the cross. Sign with it thy bed : and what- 
ever thou usest, sign it at first with the sign of the 
cross, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. This is an invincible armor, 
and no one can hurt thee, if thou art armed with 
it." Endeavor to reduce this strong admonition so 
fervently to practice, that your most devout and 
ordinary actions, the beginning and end of all your 
duties, may be the sign of the cross : and never fail 
to make it with faith, devotion, and confidence, in aM 
temptations and dangers^ and before and after prayer. 

Lastly, you should make the sign of the cross 
openly, because it is by this sign that you show your- 
self a Christian, and prove that you do nut blush at 
the cross and humiliations of your God and crucified 



ON THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 



79 



Saviour. " TTliile others." says a pious author, 
i% boast of ribbons and stars, which are worn and 
gazed on because they are badges of worldly honor 
conferred by the great ones of the earth, you should 
think it the greatest happiness, the greatest honor, to 
bear that holy ensign of the King of kings, which is 
expressive of his greatest mysteries." Therefore, far 
from refraining from this sacred sign, which would 
point you out as a Christian to utter strangers in the 
farthest quarter of the globe, you should always make 
it openly and without hesitation. Remember, how- 
ever, that you are to be guided in this most particu- 
larly by prudence, which should direct and accompany 
every action to make it virtuous. You cannot make 
the sign of the cross too frequently, or too openly, if 
you be in the bosom of a Catholic and pious family, 
because you will be sure of that sacred sign being 
duly reverenced ; but there are occasions in which it 
would be more prudent to refrain from making the 
sign of the cross outwardly. For example, to make 
the sign of the cross when the clock strikes, might, 
perhaps, before strangers to the faith, expose that 
sacred sign, as likewise the cause of piety in general, 
to laughter and derision. Therefore, on that account, 
through respect for the sign of the cross, and not from 
any apprehension of drawing ridicule on yourself, you 
would do better to confine yourself to that elevation 
of heart to God. and simple thought of the passion 
which should always accompany the outward sign of 
the cross, to make it meritorious and salutary. Be 
careful, however, not to confound those occasions 
with others in which your not making the sign of the 
cross may be taken, if not for a denial of your faith, 
at least for a wish to conceal it. Among those, you 
may. for example, consider the custom of blessing 
yourself before and after meals, because in all com- 
panies, though composed of different persuasions, 



80 



ON THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 



Catholics are expected to make the sign of the cross. 
Then, and on all such occasions, you should call to 
mind, that those who den}' Jesus Christ before men 
shall be denied by him before his Father, (St. Matt, 
x. 33 ;) and do not hesitate to show yourself a Cath- 
olic by making the sign of the cross openl}', devoutly, 
and with that generous, noble species of pride which 
made St. Paul glory in this cross of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, by which the world was crucified to him, and 
he to the world. 



MORNING PRATERS. 



When you awake, bless yourself with the sign of the cross ; 
then say, 




LESSED be the holy and undivided Trinity, 
now and forever. 



O Christ, Son of the hying God, have mercy on 
me, and save my soul. 

In putting on your clothes, say, 

OMOST loving Jesus, true Spouse of my soul, 
give me the wedding-garment of divine love 
and perpetual charity. 

In washing yourself, say, 

OMY Lord Jesus, who hast redeemed us b}^ thy 
precious blood, purify. I beseech thee, my heart 
from the stain of sin. that I may serve thee with per- 
fect purity of body and soul. 

After dressing and washing yourself, kneel down, and say, 

IX the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
Blessed be the holy and undivided Trinity, now 
and forever. Amen. 



THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

OUR FATHER, who art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name ; thy kingdom come ; tlry will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily 
6 81 



82 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
them that trespass against us. And lead us not into 
temptation ; but deliver us from evil. Amen. 



AIL. MARY, full of grace : our Lord is with 



blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Jesus. Holy Mary, 
Mother of God. pray for us sinners, now, and at the 
hour of our death. Amen. 



I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty. Creator 
of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only 
Son. our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius 
Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended 
into hell ; the third day he rose again from the dead : 
he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right 
hand of God the Father Almighty ; from thence he 
shall come to judge the living and the dead. I be- 
lieve in the Holy Ghost : the Holy Catholic Church ; 
the communion of saints ; the forgiveness of sins ; 
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. 
Amen. 



I CONFESS to Almighty God. to blessed Mary 
ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to 
blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter 
and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned 
exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my 
fault, through my fault, through my most grievous 
fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever 
Virgin, the blessed Michael the archangel, the blessed 



THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION. 




amongst women ; and 



THE APOSTLES CUEED. 



THE CONFITEOR. 



MGEXIXG- PRAYERS. 



83 



Jolm the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, 
and all the saints, to pray to the Lord, our God, 
for me. 

31 ay the almighty God have mercy on us, forgive 
us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. 

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us par- 
don, absolution, and remission of ail our sins. Amen. 

O ALMIGHTY FATHER, who hast brought me 
to the beginning of this day. save me by thy 
power, that I fall not into sin. May all my thoughts, 
words, and actions be directed to thy honor and 
glory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

O most adorable Saviour Jesus Christ, open thou 
my heart and my lips to praise and glorify thy holy 
name, which above all names is blessed. Purify my 
soul from all evil and perverse thoughts, that my lips 
may continually bless thee, and my life glorify thee : 
and. since through thy goodness I have been created 
to the praise and glory of thy holy name, grant. I 
beseech thee, that in the sight of thy divine majesty I 
may faithfully serve thee here, and eternally rejoice 
with thee hereafter, who. with the Father and the 
Holy Ghost, livest and reignest. one God. world 
without end. Amen. 

Ahnighty God. who. dwelling in the highest 
heavens, art pleased to regard the lowest creature 
upon earth. I humbly adore thy sacred majesty, and 
with all the powers of my soul exalt and praise tin- 
holy name for the nmnberless blessings thou so 
freely bestowest upon me : for haAnng created me to 
thine own image and likeness : for having redeemed 
me by the precious blood of thy Son. and sanctified 
me with thy Holy Spirit ; for having preserved me 
amid so many dangers and difficulties of life, and 
raised my thoughts to the hope of a better : and 
especially for thy fatherly protection over me during 



84 



MORNING PRAYERS 



the clangers of the past night, and for bringing me in 
safety to the beginning of another day. Continue. O 
Lord, thy mercy to me. and. as thou hast awakened 
my body from sleep, so raise my soul from sin, that 
I may walk soberly and justly, as in the day. in all 
holy obedience before thee. 

Deliver me. merciful Lord, from the impending 
evils of this day. and guide my feet in the ways of 
peace. Strengthen my resolutions of embracing with 
gladness the opportunities of doing good, and care- 
fully avoiding all occasions of sin, especially those 
which I haA'e found by experience to be most danger- 
ous to my soul ; and should I, through frailty, forget 
thee, my God. do thou, in thy mercy, remember me ; and 
should I. through the weakness of my nature, fall, 
may I immediately rise by the assistance of thy grace. 
Make me diligent in the duties of my calling and 
state of life, and not over-solicitous for the affairs of 
this world ; but, in all the disappointments and crosses 
that may befall me. may I be submissive to thy divine 
will, and obediently rely on thy merciful providence. 

Let thy blessings be upon my actions, and thy grace 
direct my intentions, that the whole course of my life, 
and the principal designs of my heart, may always 
tend to the advancement of thy glory, the good of 
others, and the eternal salvation of my own soul, 
through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who, 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, 
one God, world without end. Amen. 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



THE LIT AN Y OF JESUS. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God. the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 
Jesus, Son of the living God, 
Jesus, splendor of the Father, 
Jesus, brightness of eternal life, 
Jesus, King of glory, 
Jesus, the sun of justice. 
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, 
Jesus, whose name is called Wonderful, 
Jesus, the mighty God. 
Jesus, the Father of the world to come, 
Jesus, the Angel of the great council, 
Jesus, most powerful, 
Jesus, most patient, 
Jesus, most obedient, 
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, 
Jesus, Lover of chastity, 
Jesus, Lover of mankind, 
Jesus, the God of peace, 
Jesus, the Author of life. 
Jesus, the example of all virtues, 
Jesus, zealous for souls, 
Jesus, our God. 
Jesus, the Father of the poor. 
Jesus, the treasure of the faithful, 
Jesus, the good Shepherd, 
Jesus, the true light, 
Jesus, the eternal wisdom, 



86 



MORXIXG PRAYERS. 



Jesus, the infinite goodness, 
Jesus, the way. the truth, and the life, 
Jesus, the joy of the angels. 
Jesus, the King of the patriarchs, 
Jesus, the Inspirer of prophets, 
Jesus, the Master of the apostles, 
Jesus, the Teacher of the evangelists, 
Jesus, the strength of martyrs, 
Jesus, the light of confessors, 
Jesus, , the Spouse of virgins, 
Jesus, the crown of all saints, 
Be merciful to us. Spare us, Lord Jesus. 
Be merciful to us. Hear us, Lord Jesus. 
From all evil, Lord Jesus, deliver us, 
From all sin. 
From thy wrath. 
From the snares of the devil. 
From the spirit of uncleanness, 

From everlasting death. fcn 
From a neglect of thy holy inspirations, 
Through the mystery of thy most holy incarnation 
Through thy nativity. 
Through thy divine infancy, 
Throng] i thy sacred life. 
Through thy labors and travails. 
Through thy agony and bloody sweat, 
Through thy cross and passion, 
Through thy pains and torments, 
Through thy death and burial. 
Through thy glorious resurrection, 
Through thy admirable ascension. 
Through thy joys and glory, 
In the day of judgment. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

spare us, O Lord Jesus. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

hear us, O Lord Jesus. 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



87 



Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the 

world, have mercy on us, O Lord Jesus. 
V. Christ Jesus, hear us. 
It. Christ Jesus, graciously hear us. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD JESUS CHRIST, who hast said, " Ask, 
and you shall receive ; seek, and you shall find ; 
knock, and it shall be opened unto you," — mercifully 
attend to our supplication, and grant us the gift of 
thy divine charity, that we may ever love thee with 
our whole heart, and never desist from thy praise, 
who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

O God, who hast appointed thy onry-begotten Son 
the Saviour of mankind, and hast commanded that 
he should be called Jesus, mercifully grant that we 
may enjoy in heaven the happy vision of Him whose 
holy name we venerate upon earth, who, with thee 
and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, 
world without end. Amen. 



AXGELUS DOMINI. 

THE angel of the Lord declared unto Man', and 
she conceded by the Holy Ghost. 
Hail Mary, &c. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done 
unto me according to thy word. 
Haih Mary, &c. 

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. 
Hail, Mary, &c. 

* This prayer is to be said kneeling on week-davs, but standing on Sundays, 
beginning from noon on Saturday! During Easter time, tire antiphon Regina 
C'celi is substituted for the Angelut, and is always said standing. 
"-' F.orlndulgenc-es granted; to 'the .recital: df'.fhe above, see.RaccoIta delle Iiidul- 
penze. 



88 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



Let us pray. 

POUR forth, we beseech thee. Lord, thy grace 
into our hearts, that we. to whom the incarna- 
tion of Christ, thy Son. has been made known by the 
message of an angel, may. by his passion and cross, 
be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through 
the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

After the Angelus Domini, morning, noon, and night, say 
three times, 

Glory be to the Father, ecc. 

REGINA CCELI. 
From Holy Saturday, M.. to Trinity Eve, M. 

O HAPPY Queen of heaven, rejoice. Alleluia. 
The Son thou lovest. by heaven's choice. Alleluia. 
From death is risen, as he did say Alleluia. 
To God for us. thy children, pray ; Alleluia. 

V. Rejoice, and be glad. O Virgin Mary. Alleluia, 
i?. Because our Lord is truly risen. Alleluia. 

Let ns pray. 

OGOD. who. by the resurrection of thy Son, our 
Lord Jesus Christ, hast been pleased to fill the 
world with joy. grant, we beseech thee, that by the 
intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may 
receive the joys of eternal life, through the same 
Christ our Lord, 
i?. Amen. 

DEVOUT RECOMMENDATION, WHICH MAY BE USED IN 
THE MORNING, OR AT ANY OTHER TIME. 

I ADORE and glorify thee. O blessed Trinity! 
God the Father, Son. and Holy Ghost ! I offer 
myself to thy divine majesty, humbly beseeching thee 
to take from me. and from all others, whatever may 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



89 



be displeasing to thee, and to give us that which is 
agreeable in thy sight. Grant that we may here do 
what thou hast commanded, and hereafter receive 
what thou hast promised. 

To thee, O Lord, I commend my soul and body, 
my wife and children, my father and mother, my 
brothers and sisters, my friends, relations, and bene- 
factors, and all those for whom I am bound to pray. 
To thee I commend all the faithful of the Holy Cath- 
olic Church, and the subjects of this nation, and its 
rulers. Grant, O Lord, that all may be brought to 
know thee, to love thee, and be beloved by thee. 
Enlighten those who are in the darkness of error, and 
bring all to the true faith who as yet do not know 
thee. Grant to all, O Lord, tlry grace, and direct us 
in the way of peace, that we may in all things do thy 
holy will. Comfort those who are in sorrow, in grief, 
or in temptation, and mercifully relieve them in their 
afflictions, whether spiritual or temporal. Finally, 
O Lord, I commend all to thy holy protection, that 
thou wouldst vouchsafe forgiveness and peace to the 
living, and eternal rest to the souls of the faithful 
departed. Amen. 



IXTO the hands of thy unspeakable mercy, Lord, 
I commend my soul and body, my thoughts, 
words, and actions, my going out and coming in, my 
faith and conversation, the course and end of my life, 
the day and hour of my death, my rest and resur- 
rection, with thy saints. Amen. 

FOR THE RELIGIOUS PROSPERITY OF OUR NATION. 



doms of the earth are subject, under whose 
protection they are safe, and by whose blessing alone 
the}' can prosper, have mercy on this nation. 



ANOTHER. 




LORD, to whom all the king- 



90 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



Most loving Redeemer, remove from among ns 
irreligion and nneharitableness. animosities and im- 
piety. Bring back, great Shepherd of our souls, 
those who have gone astray, that all may he united 
in the one fold of thy Holy Catholic and Apostolic 
Church. 

O Spirit of purity. Spirit of peace, whom the 
foulest stains of sin cannot resist, purify thou our 
souls, and infuse therein that peace which the world 
cannot give. that, strengthened and encouraged by 
thee, we may never be attached to this wretched 
world, nor be ever so wedded to its concerns as to 
prefer them to the perfect accomplishment of God's 
holy will. Amen. 

FOR PER S E V ER A\( I S . 

GRANT. O my Lord Jesus Christ, that I may 
persevere in good purposes and in thy holy ser- 
vice till death ; and that I may this day truly begin, 
since all I have hitherto done has been little or noth- 
ing. Amen. 

TO OUR BLESSED LADY. 

HAIL, most holy and blessed Virgin, full of 
grace ! Mirror of beauty and loveliness, of 
whom and by whom it pleased our Saviour Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God. the King of heaven, the 
brightness of his Father's glory, to be born and nour- 
ished, obtain for me, O blessed Lady, from thy onfv- 
begotten Son, whatsoever thou knowest to be neces- 
sary for the salvation of my soul. O holy Mother 
of God, assist me this day, and the remainder of my 
life, in all my difficulties, temptations, and dangers, 
but especially at the hour of my death, vouchsafe to 
be near me, that, by thy prayers and protection. I 
may be safe in that last and dangerous battle. 
Amen. - - 



MORNING PRAYERS. 



91 



TO OUR ANGEL GUARDIAN. 

BLESSED Angel, whom God in his mercy hath 
appointed to watch over me, intercede for me 
and guide me, that I may not stray from the path 
of virtue. Amen. 

TO OUR PATRON SAINT. 

BLESSED Saints, and thou in particular, St. X., 
whose name I bear, pray for me, that I may 
serve God faithfully in this life, as }~ou have done, 
and glorify him eternally with you in heaven. Amen. 

A BLESSING. 

THE peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the virtue 
of his sacred passion, the sign of the holy 
cross, the purity and humility of the ever immaculate 
Virgin Mary, the protection of angels, and inter- 
cession of all the saints, be with me ; defend me now 
and at the hour of death, sweet Jesus. Amen. 



FOR PARTICULAR OCCASIONS. 



WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES. 

MY God, I offer thee, in expiation of my sins, 
and in atonement for all that have been com- 
mitted during this hour, all the acts of love by which 
the sacred heart of Jesus glorified thee during this 
same hour, whilst on earth. 



AT THE APPROACH OF TEMPTATION. 

MY divine Saviour, assist me by thy powerful 
grace ; mercifully preserve me from yielding to 
this temptation, and give me a great horror of sin. 
Lord, save me, or I shall perish. 



AT THE SIGHT OF A CRUCIFIX. 

TO what excess, O my Saviour, hast thou loved 
me ! O Jesus, crucified for my salvation, 
save me. 

OR, 

O SAVIOUR of mankind, have mercy on all sin- 
ners, and according to the multitude of thy 
tender mercies blot out their iniquity. 



BEFORE MEALS. 

BLESS us, O Lord, and these gifts, which we are 
about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



AFTER MEALS. 



WE give thee thanks, O Almighty God, for these 
and all thy blessings, through Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

92 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEDITATION, 

OR 

MENTAL PRAYER, 



PROPER TO BE MADE EVERY MORNING. 



I will meditate on thee in the morning. — Psalm Ixii. 7. 

The wise man will give his heart to resort early to the Lord, that made him, 
and he will pray in the sight of the Most High. — Eccles. xxxix. 6. 

MEDITATION, consisting of considerations on the great 
truths of Christianity, pious affections, and manifold 
elevations of the soul to God, and serious resolutions of 
devoting one's self to him, is allowed to be one of the 
most important exercises of a Christian life, and such as 
ought to be performed daily, by as many as would serve 
God in good earnest. The time most proper for it is the 
morning ; the most proper place one's closet, or any other, 
where one can be most recollected. The chief subjects 
to be meditated on, especially for beginners, are : the end 
for which we came into this world; the benefits of God, 
and the many motives we have to love and serve him ; the 
vanity of the honors, riches, and pleasures of this life, and 
how very suddenly all these things vanish away ; the enormity 
of sin, and the multitude of our sins in particular; the 
certainty and uncertainty of death, and the necessity of pre- 
paring for it ; the account we must one day give to an all- 
seeing Judge ; the eternal joys of heaven, and the eternal 
torments of hell; the presence and majesty of God; the life 
and death of Jesus Christ ; the examples of his saints ; the 

93 



94 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR MEDITATION. 



state of our own interior, in order to the knowledge of our- 
selves, our passions and vices, &c. 

The method of meditation prescribed by that great master 
in spirituality, St. Francis de Sales, in his Introduction, part 
the 2d, is as follows : 

First. Place yourself in the presence of God, by a lively 
faith that he sees and beholds you, and is most intimately 
present in the centre of your soul; prostrate yourself in spirit 
before him, to adore this sovereign Lord, whose majesty fills 
heaven and earth ; make an offering of your whole being to 
him, and humbly beg his pardon for all your past treasons 
and sins. 

Secondly. Implore, with fervor and humility, his light and 
grace, that you may perform this important exercise as you 
ought. 

Thirdly. Consider attentively upon the subject which you 
have chosen for your meditation, (which you ought to have 
prepared over night,) and let the truths of heaven sink deep 
into your soul. Dwell most upon such points as you find 
yourself most affected with. 

Fourthly. From these considerations draw pious affections 
of the love of God, of gratitude for his benefits, repentance 
for your sins, and the like, which are the principal part of 
mental prayer, and what you ought most to insist upon. 

Fifthly. From these affections pass on to good resolutions 
of a serious amendment of your life, particularly with regard 
to such failings as you are most subject to; and determine 
with yourself to begin that very day to put these good pur- 
poses in execution on such occasions as shall offer. 

Sixthly. Conclude by thanksgiving to God for the affections 
and resolutions he has given you; offer them to him, and beg 
his blessing on them. 

Seventhly. Lay up in your minds such points of your medi- 
tation as have touched you most, and oftentimes in the day 
reflect upon them — which the saint compares to gathering, as 
it were, a nosegay, in this garden of devotion, to smell at all 
the day. 

Eighthly. Such as find difficulty in meditation may help 
themselves by using some good book, reading leisurely, and 
pausing upon what they read, and drawing proper affections 
and resolutions from it. 



TEN MEDITATIONS, 



Out of the First Part of St. Francis de Sales's Introduction, 
which may serve as examples of this exercise, and are very 
proper to bring a soul to a resolution of serving God. 



"With desolation is all the land made desolate, because there is none that 
considered! in the heart. — Jer. xii. 11. 



FIRST MEDITATION. ON OUR, CREATION. 

PREPARATION. — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 
2. Beseech Mm to inspire you. 
Considerations. — 1. Consider that, so many years 
ago, you were not yet in the world, and that your 
being was a mere nothing. Where were we, O my 
soul, at that time ? The world had lasted so many 
ages, and }^et there was no news of us. 

2. God has framed you out of this nothing, to 
make you what you are, merely of his own goodness, 
having no need at all of you. 

3. Consider the being that God has given you; 
for it is the highest in this visible world, capable 
of eternal life, and of being perfectly united with 
his divine majesty. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1. Humble yourself 
exceedingly in the presence of God, saying in your 
heart, with the Psalmist, O Lord, I am in thy sight a 
mere nothing, and how hadst thou remembrance of 
me to create me ! Alas ! my soul, thou wast ingulfed 

95 . 



96 



TEX 3IEDITATI0NS 



in that ancient nothing, and hadst yet been there, 
had not God drawn thee thence. And what couldst 
thou have done, remaining there? 

2. Give thanks to God. O my great and good 
Creator, how am I obliged to thee, since thou hast 
vouchsafed to take me out of this nothing, and by 
thy mercy to make me what I am ! What can I do 
to bless thy holy name as I ought, and to render 
due thanks to thy inestimable goodness? 

3. Confound yourself. But, alas ! my Creator, 
instead of uniting myself to thee by love and ser- 
vice, I have been a rebel to thee by my inordinate 
affections, wandering and straying away from thee to 
unite myself to sin, valuing thy goodness no more 
than if thou hadst not been nry Creator. 

4. Prostrate yourself before God. O my soul, 
know that the Lord is thy God. It is he that has 
made thee, and not thou thyself. O God, I am the 
work of thy hands. 

5. I will then no more henceforth take pleasure in 
myself; I am nothing. Why dost thou magnify 
thyself, dust and ashes? Yea, rather. O mere 
nothing, why dost thou exalt thyself? To humble, 
therefore, myself, I resolve to do such and such 
things ; to suffer such and such disgraces. I will 
change my life, and henceforth follow my Creator, 
and esteem myself honored with that condition and 
being w T hich he has given me, employing it entirely in 
obedience to his will, by such means as shall be taught 
me, and as I shall learn from my ghostly father. 

Conclusion. — 1. Give thanks to God. Bless thy 
God, O my soul, and let all that is within me praise 
his holy name ; for his goodness has drawn me, and 
his mercy has created me, out of nothing. 

2. Offer. my God, I offer to thee the being 
which thou hast given me; from my heart, I dedi- 
cate and consecrate it to thee. 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 



97 



3. Pray. OGod, strengthen me in these affections 
and resolutions. blessed Virgin, recommend them 
to the mercy of thy Son, with all for whom I ought 
to pray. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, I believe in God, &c. 

After your prayer, out of these considerations which you 
have made, gather a little nosegay of devotion, to smell to all 
the rest of the day. 



SECOND MEDITATION. ON THE END FOR WHICH WE 

WERE CREATED. 




•REPARATION . — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 



2. Beseech him to inspire you. 

Considerations. — 1. God has not placed you in 
this world for any need he has of you, who are 
altogether unprofitable to him, but only to exercise 
his goodness in you by giving you his grace and 
glory. And to this end he hath enriched you with 
an understanding to know him, with a memory to be 
mindful of liim, with a wall to love him. an imagina- 
tion to represent to yourself his benefits, eyes to 
behold his wondrous works, a tongue to praise him ; 
and so of the other faculties. 

2. Being created and put into the world for this 
intent, all actions contrary to it are to be avoided 
and rejected, and whatever conduceth not to this end 
ought to be contemned as vain and superfluous. 

3. Consider the wretchedness of worldlings, who 
never think of this, but live as though they believed 
themselves created for no other end than to build 
houses, plant trees, heap up riches, and such like 
fooleries. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1. Confound your- 
self, reproaching your soul with her misery, which has 
hitherto been so great as that she hath seldom or never 
7 



98 



TEX MEDITATIONS 



considered this. Alas ! shall you say, how did I 
employ my thoughts, O God, when I placed them 
not upon thee ? What did I remember when I forgot 
thee ? What did I love when T loved not thee ? Alas ! 
I ought to have fed upon truth, and I have glutted 
myself with vanity. I have served the world, which 
was created but to serve me. 

2. Detest your past life. I renounce you, O vain 
thoughts and unprofitable fancies ; I abjure .you, O 
frivolous and hateful remembrances ; O unfaithful 
and disloyal friendships, lewd and wretched slaveries, 
ungrateful contentments, and irksome pleasures, I 
abhor you. 

3. Return to God. And thou, O my God, my 
Saviour, thou shalt be from henceforth the sole object 
of my thoughts. I will no more apply my mind to 
objects that may be displeasing to thee. My memory 
shall entertain itself all the days of my life with the 
greatness of thy clemency, so mercifully exercised on 
me. Thou shalt be the delight of my heart, and the 
sweetness of my affections. 

4. Ah ! such and such trash and trifles to which 
I applied myself, such and such unprofitable employ- 
ments in which I have foolishly squandered away my 
days, such and such affections which have capti- 
vated my heart, shall henceforth be a horror to my 
thoughts ; and to this end I will use such and such 
good remedies. 

Conclusion. — 1. Thank God, who made you for so 
excellent an end. Thou hast created me, O Lord, for 
thyself, and for the everlasting enjoyment of thy 
incomprehensible glory. O, when shall I be worthy 
of it ? When shall I praise thee and bless thee as I 
ought ? 

2. Offer. I offer to thee, O my dear Creator, 
all these affections and resolutions with all my heart 
and soul. 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 



99 



3. Pray. I beseech thee, O God, to accept my 
desires and purposes, and give thy holy benediction 
to my soul, to the end that it ma} T accompli sh them, 
through the merits of thy blessed Son's blood, shed 
for me upon the cross, &c. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, I believe in God, &c. 

Make your little nosegay of devotion, as aforesaid. 



THIRD MEDITATION. ON THE BENEFITS OF GOD. 



jL ence of God. 

2. Beseech him to inspire you. 
Considerations. — 1. Consider the corporeal gifts 
which God has bestowed upon }'ou. What a body ! 
what conyeniences to maintain it ! what health and 
lawful recreations to entertain it ! what friends and 
assistances ! But consider all this with respect to 
many other persons much more wortrry than yourself, 
who are destitute of all these blessings — some 
spoiled in their bodies, health, and limbs ; others 
abandoned to the mercy of reproaches, contempts, 
and dishonors ; others oppressed with poverty. And 
God has not suffered you to become so miserable. 

2. Consider the gifts of mind. How man}' are in 
the world stupid, frantic, or mad ! and why are you 
not of this number? God has favored }'ou. How 
many are there who have been brought up rudely and 
in gross ignorance ! and, God's proA T idence, you 
have been educated liberally and honorably. 

3. Consider the spiritual graces. O Philotheus, 
you are a child of the Catholic Church ; God has 
taught you to know him even from your most tender 
age. How often has he given you his sacraments ! 
how man}' inspirations, internal illuminations, and 
reprehensions for your amendment ! How frequently 




Place yourself in the pres- 



100 



TEX MEDITATIONS 



has he pardoned you your faults ! how often has he 
delivered you from the occasions of casting yourself 
away, to which you were exposed ! And were not 
all these years past given you as a time and opportu- 
nity to advance the good of your soul? Consider, 
in particular, how good and gracious God has always 
been to you. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1. Admire the good- 
ness of God. O. how good is my God towards me ! 
O. how gracious is he ! How rich is thy heart. O 
Lord, in mercy, and liberal in clemency ! O niy soul, 
let us recount forever how many favors he has 
clone us. 

2. Be astonished at your ingratitude. But what 
am I, O Lord, that thou art so mindful of me? Ah ! 
how great is my unworthiness ! Alas ! I have even 
trodden thy blessings under foot. I have dishonored 
thy graces, perverting them into abuse and contempt 
of thy sovereign goodness. I have opposed the depth 
of my ingratitude to the height of thy grace and 
favor. 

3. Stir yourself up to acknoivledgment. \Yell then, 
my heart, be now no more unfaithful, ungrateful, and 
disloyal to this great Benefactor. And now. shall 
not my soul henceforth be wholly subject to God, 
who has done so many wonders and favors to me 
and for me? 

4. Ah ! withdraw then your body. Philotheus. from 
such and such sensualities, and consecrate it to the 
service of God. who has done so much for it. Apply 
your soul to know and acknowledge him by such 
exercises as shall be requisite for that purpose. 
Employ diligently the means which you have in the 
Church to save your soul, and love Almighty God. 
Yes. O my God. I will be diligent in prayer : I will 
hear thy holy word, and put in practice thy inspira- 
tions and counsels. 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES 



101 



Conclusion. — 1. Thank God for the knowledge he 
hath now given you of your duty, and for the benefits 
hitherto received. 

2. Offer him your heart with all your resolutions. 

3. Pray hira that he will strengthen you to practise 
them faithfully through the merits of his Son's death. 
Implore the intercession of the blessed Virgin, and of 
the saints. 

Out Father. Hail Mary^ I believe. &c. 

Make your little spiritual nosegay, as before. 




REPARATION. — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 



2. Beseech him to Inspire you. 

Considerations. — 1. Call to mind how long it is 
since you began to sin. and examine how much, since 
that beginning, sins have been multiplied in your 
heart : how every day you have increased them 
against God. against yourself, and against your neigh- 
bor, by work, by word, or by desire. 

2. Consider your evil inclinations, and how far you 
have followed them ; and by these two points you shall 
find that your sins are greater in number than the hairs 
of your head, yea, than the sands of the sea. 

3. Consider, in particular, the sin of ingratitude 
against God, which is a general sin, and extends 
itself over all the rest, making them infinitely more 
enormous. Consider, then, how many benefits God 
has bestowed upon you. and how you have abused 
them all in prejudice of the Giver, and in particular 
how many inspirations have you despised? How 
many good motions have you made unprofitable? 
But. above all, how many thnes have you received 
the sacraments? And where are the fruits of it? 



FOURTH MEDITATION. OX SIX. 




102 



TEN MEDITATIONS 



What is become of all those precious jewels with 
which your dear Spouse adorned you? All these 
have been buried under your iniquities. With what 
preparations have ycu received them? Think on this 
ingratitude, that. God having run so far after you, 
you have run from him to lose yourself. 

Affections and JResoVo.fi oris. — l. Be confounded at 
pour misery. my God. how dare I appear before 
thy eyes ? Alas ! I am but the corruption of the 
world, and a very sink of sin and ingratitude. Is it 
possible that I have been so disloyal as not to have 
left any one of my senses, nor any one of the powers 
of my soul, but which I have corrupted, violated, or 
defiled? And that not so much as one day of my life 
has passed in which I have not brought forth such 
wicked effects ? Is it thus that I have recompensed 
the benefits of my Creator, and the precious blood of 
my Redeemer? 

2. Orave pardon, and cast yourself at the feet of 
your Lord, like the prodigal child, like a penitent 
Magdalen, or like a woman that has defiled her mar- 
riage bed with all kind of adultery. Have mercy. O 
Lord, upon this poor sinner. Alas ! O living foun- 
tain of compassion, have pity on this wretch. 

3. JResolre to Vice better. No, O Lord, nevermore, 
with the help of thy grace, nevermore will I abandon 
myself to sin. Alas ! I have loved it too much : now 
I detest it. and embrace thee. Father of mercy. I 
will live and die in thee. 

4. To expiate my sins past. I will accuse myself 
of them courageously, and will not leave one un- 
banished from my heart. 

5. I will use all possible endeavors to extirpate all 
the roots of sin out of my heart : and in particular 
such and such vices which I am most inclined to. 

6. To accomplish this. I will constantly embrace 
the means which I shall be advised to ; and think I 



OF ST. FRAKCIS DE SALES 



103 



have never done enough to repair such grievous 
offences. 

Conclusion. — 1. Give God thanks for expecting 
your amendment till this hour ; and bless him that he 
has given you these affections. 

2. Offer him up your heart, that you may put 
them in execution. 

3. Desire him to strengthen you. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. I believe. &c. 

Make your iittle nosegay of devotion, as above. 

FIFTH MEDITATION . ON DEATH. 

PREPARATION. — 1. Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 

2. Beseech him to inspire you with his grace. 

3. Imagine yourself to be extremely sick, lying on 
your death-bed. without any hope of recovery. 

Considerations. — 1. Consider the uncertainty of 
the day of your death. my soul, thou must one 
day go out of this body : but when shall that day be ? 
Shall it be in winter or in summer? In city or in 
country ? By day or by night ? Shall it be suddenly, 
or on notice given thee ? By sickness or by accident ? 
Shalt thou have leisure to make thy confession ? Shalt 
thou have the assistance of thy ghostly father? Alas ! 
of all this we know nothing at all ; only certain it is 
that we shall die, and that, perhaps, sooner than we 
imagine. 

2. Consider that then the world shall end in regard 
to you : for it will last no longer to you ; it will turn 
upside down before your eyes, for then the pleasures 
and vanities, the worldly joys and fond affections, of 
our life will seem to us shadows and airy clouds. 
Ah. wretch, for what toys and trifles have I offended 
God ! You shall then see that for a mere nothing 
you have forsaken him. On the contrary, devotion 



104 



TEX MEDITATIONS 



and good works will then seem to you sweet and de- 
lightful. O. why did I not follow this lovely and 
pleasant path? The sins which before seemed very 
little will appear as big as mountains, and your devo- 
tion very small. 

3. Consider the long and languishing farewells 
your soul will then give this world : she will then take 
her leave of riches, vanities, and all idle company ; 
of pleasures, pastimes, friends, and neighbors : of 
kindred, children, husband, and wife ; in short, of 
every creature ; and finally of her own bod}', which 
she will leave pale, hideous, and loathsome. 

4. Consider with what hurrying they will carry 
away this body, to cover it under the earth : which 
done, the world will think no more of you than you 
have thought on others ; God's peace be with him, 
they will say. and that's all. O Death, how void art 
thou of regard or pity ! 

5. Consider how the soul, being departed from the 
body, takes her way to the right hand, or to the left. 
Alas ! whither shall yours go ? AVhat wa}' shall it 
take ? Xo other than that which it began here in this 
world. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1. Pray to God, and 
cast yourself into his arms. Alas ! O my Lord, 
receive me into thy protection at that dreadful clay ; 
make that hour happy and favorable to me ; and 
rather let all the other days of my life be sad and 
sorrowful. 

2. Despise the world. Since, then. I know not the 
hour in which I must leave thee. O wretched world, 
I will no more set my heart upon thee. O my dear 
friends and relations, pardon me if I love you no 
more but with a holy friendship, which may last 
eternally ; for why should I unite myself to you, so 
as to be forced to break and dissolve that knot ? 

3. I will then prepare myself against that hour, 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 



105 



and take all possible care to end this journey happily. 
I will secure the state of my conscience to the utmost 
of my ability, and take present order for the amend- 
ment of such and such defects. 

Conclusion. — Give thanks to God for these reso- 
lutions which he has given you. Offer them to his 
divine majesty. Be instant with him to give you a 
happy death, by the merits of that of his dearly 
beloved Son. Implore the assistance of the blessed 
Virgin, and of the glorified saints. 

Oar Father, Hail Mary, I believe, &c. 

Make a posy of myrrh. 

SIXTH MEDITATION. ON JUDGMENT. 




iPEPAKATIOX. — 1. Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 



2. Beseech him to inspire you with his grace. 

Consideration. — -1. After the time that God hath 
prescribed for the continuance of the world ; after 
many signs and dreadful presages, which will cause 
men to pine away through fear and anguish, a fire, 
raging like a torrent, shall burn and reduce to ashes 
everything that is upon the face of the earth ; noth- 
ing whicli we see upon it shall be spared. 

2. After these flames and thunderbolts, all men 
shall rise from their graves, (excepting such as are 
already risen,) and, at the voice of the angel, they 
shall appear in the valley of Josophat. But alas ! 
with what difference ! For the one sort shall arise in 
glorified and resplendent bodies, the other in bodies 
most hideous and horrid. 

3. Consider the majesty with which the sovereign 
Judge will appear, environed with ail his angels and 
saints ; before him shall be borne his cross, shining 
much brighter than the sun — an ensign of mercy to 
the good, and of justice to the wicked. 



106 



TEX MEDITATIONS 



4. This sovereign Judge, by Ms dreadful command, 
which shall be suddenly obeyed, will separate the 
good from the bad. placing the one at his right hand, 
and the other at his left. O everlasting separa- 
tion ! after which these two companies shall never 
meet. 

5. The separation being made, and the books of 
conscience opened, ail men shall see clearly the 
malice of the wicked, and their contempt against 
God : and on the other side the penance of the good, 
and the effects of God's grace which they have re- 
ceived, and nothing shall he hid. O God. what a 
confusion will this be to the one. and what a consola- 
tion to the other ! 

6. Consider the last sentence pronounced against 
the wicked: Depart from me. ye cursed, into everlast- 
ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Ponder 
well those weighty words. Deport, saith he — a 
word of eternal banishment against those miserable 
wretches, excluding them eternally from his glorious 
presence. He calls them cursed. O my soul, how 
dreadful a curse ! a general curse, including all 
manner of woes ! an irrevocable curse, comprehend- 
ing all time and eternity. He adds, into everlasting 
fire. Behold. my heart, this vast eternity ! O, 
eternal eternity of pains, how dreadful art thou ! 

7. Consider the contrary sentence of the good. 
Come, saith the Judge. O. sweet word of salvation, 
by which God draws as to himself, and receives us 
into the bosom of his goodness ! Blessed of my 
Father! O dear blessing, which comprehends all 
happiness ! Possess the kingdom prepared for you 
fr<>m the foundation of the world. O good God, 
what excess of bounty ! for this kingdom shall never 
have an end. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1. Tremble. my 
soul, at the remembrance of those things. my God, 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES 



107 



who shall secure me in that day. when the pillars of 
heaven shall tremble for fear ! 

2. Detest your sins, which only can condemn you 
on that dreadful day. 

3. Alt. wretched heart of mine, resolve to amend, 
O Lord. I will judge myself now. that I may not be 
judged then. I will examine my conscience, and 
condemn myself. I will accuse and chastise myself, 
that the eternal Judge may not condemn me in that 
dreadful day : I will therefore confess my sins, accept 
of all necessary advice, &e. 

Conclusion. — Thank God, who has given you 
means to provide for that day. and time to do pen- 
ance. Offer him your heart to perform it. Pray him 
to give you grace duly to accomplish it. 

Oar Father. Hail Mary. I believe, &e. 

Make your spiritual nosegay for all the day. 

SEVENTH MEDITATION. OX HELL. 




(REPARATION. — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 



2. Humble yourself, and implore his assistance. 

3. Represent to yourself a dark city, all burning, 
all stinking with pitch and brimstone, and full of in- 
habitants, who cannot get out. 

Considerations. — 1. The damned are in the depth 
of hell, as within this woful city, where they suffer 
unspeakable torments, in all their senses and mem- 
bers : because, as they have employed all their senses 
and members in sinning, so shall they surfer in them 
all the punishments due to sin. The eyes, for las- 
civious looks, shall be afflicted with the horrid vision 
of hell and devils. The ears, for delighting in vicious 
discourses, shall hear nothing but wailings. lamenta- 
tions, desperate bowlings : and so of the rest. 

2. Besides all these torments, there is another 



108 



TEN MEDITATIONS 



greater, which is the loss and privation of God's glo- 
ry, from the sight of which they are excluded forever. 
Now, if Absalom found it more grievous to him to 
be denied the seeing the face of his father David than 
to be banished. O God. what a grief it will be to be 
forever excluded from beholding thy most sweet and 
gracious countenance ! 

3. Consider, above all. the eternity of these pains, 
which, above all things, makes hell intolerable. 
Alas ! if a flea in your ear. or if the heat of a little 
fever, make one short night so long and tedious, 
how terrible will the night of eternity be. accompa- 
nied with so many torments ! From this eternity pro- 
ceed eternal despair, infinite rage, and blasphemy. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1. Terrify yourself 
with the toordsof the prophet Isaiah. O my soul, art 
thou able to live forever in everlasting flames, and 
amidst this devouring fire ? Wilt thou forfeit the sight 
of thy God forever? 

2. Confess that you hare deserved hell, yea, often- 
times. From henceforth will I take a new course ; 
for why should I go down into this bottomless pit ? 
I will, therefore, use this or that endeavor to avoid 
sin, which only can bring me to this eternal death. 

Give thanks. Offer. Pray, 

Our Father, Hail Mary, I believe, &c. 

EIGHTH MEDITATION. ON HEAVEN. 




►REPARATION. — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 



2. Beseech him to inspire you with his grace. 

Considerations. — 1. Consider a fair and clear 
night, and think how pleasant it is to behold the sky 
all spangled with a multitude and variety of stars ; 
join this now with the beaut}' of as clear a day. so 
as the brightness of the sun may no way hinder the 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. 



109 



lustre of the stars or moon ; and then say boldly that 
all this put together is nothing in comparison with 
the excellent beauty of the heavenly paradise. O, 
how this lovely place is to be desired ! O, how pre- 
cious is this city ! 

2. Consider the glory, beauty, and multitude of the 
inhabitants in this blessed country — those millions 
of millions of angels, cherubim and seraphim ; 
those troops of apostles, prophets, martyrs, confes- 
sors, virgins, and holy matrons. The number is in- 
numerable. O, how blessed is this company ! The 
meanest of them is more beautiful to behold than all 
this world. What a sight, then, will it be to see 
them all ! But, O my God, how happy are they ! 
They sing continually harmonious songs of eternal 
love ; they enjoy a constant mirth ; the}' interchange 
one with another unspeakable contentments, and live 
in the comfort of a happy and indissoluble soeiet}'. 

3. In fine, consider how blessed they are to enjoy 
God, who rewards them forever with his lovely as- 
pect, and by the same infuses into their hearts a treas- 
ure of delights. How great a happiness it is to be 
united everlastingly to this sovereign good I They are 
there like happy birds flying and singing perpetually 
in the air of his divinity, which encompasses them on 
all sides with incredible pleasure. There every one 
does his best, and without envy sings the Creator's 
praise. Blessed be thou forever, O sweet and sover- 
eign Creator and Redeemer, who art so bountiful to 
us, and dost communicate to us so liberally the ever- 
lasting treasures of thy glory. Blessed be you for- 
ever, says he, my beloved creatures, who have so 
faithfully served me, and who now shall praise me 
everlastingly with so great love and courage. 

Affections and Resolutions. — 1 . Admire and praise 
this heavenly country. O, how beautiful art thou, my 
dear Jerusalem ! and how happy are thy inhabitants ! 



110 



TEN MEDITATIONS 



2. Heproach your heart with the litt 7 e courage it has 
had hitherto in wandering so far from the way of this 
glorious habitation. O. why have I strayed so far 
from my sovereign good ? Ah ! wretch that I am, 
for these foolish and trivial pleasures have I a thou- 
sand thousand times forsaken eternal and infinite 
delights ! \Yas I not mad to despise such precious 
blessings for so vain and contemptible alfections ? 

3. Aspire now with fervor to this delightful habi- 
tation. O my gracious God, since it has pleased thee 
at length to direct my wandering steps in the right 
way, never hereafter will I turn back. Let us go, my 
dear soul, let us go to this eternal repose : let us walk 
towards this blessed land that is promised us. What 
have we to do in this Egypt? I will therefore dis- 
burden myself of all such things as may divert or 
retard me in so happy a journey. I will perform 
such and such things as may conduct me to it. 

Give thanks. Offer. Pray. 

Our Father, Hail Mary. I believe, &c. 

NINTH MEDITATION. BV WAV OF ELECTION AND 

CHOICE OF HEAVEN. 




REPAR ATTOX. — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 
ence of God. 



2. Humble yourself before his majesty, and be- 
seech him to inspire you with his grace. 

3. Imagine yourself to be in a plain field, all alone 
with your good angel, as young Tobias going to 
Rages, and that he shows you heaven open, with all 
the pleasures represented in the former meditation : 
then beneath that he shows you hell wide open, with 
all the torments described in the meditation of hell : 
you being thus placed in your imagination, and 
kneeling by your good angel. 

Considerations. — 1. Consider that it is most true 



OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES 



111 



you are between heaven and hell, and that the one 
and the other is open to receive yon. according to 
the choice yon shall make. 

2. Consider that the choice you shall make in this 
world shall last for eternity in the other. 

3. And. though both the one and the other be open 
to receive you. according to your choice, yet God, 
who is ready to give you either the one by his justice 
or the other by his mercy, desires, notwithstanding, 
with an incomparable desire, that you would make 
choice of heaven : and your good angel also impor- 
tunes you with all his power, offering you. on God's 
behalf, a thousand assistances and a thousand graces 
to help you thither. 

4. Consider that Jesus Christ beholds you from 
above in his clemency, and graciously invites you, 
saying, Come, my dear soul, to everlasting rest, 
within the arms of my goodness, where I have pre- 
pared immortal delights for thee in the abundance of 
my love. Behold, likewise, with your inward eyes, 
the blessed Virgin, who. with a motherly love, exhorts 
you. saying. Take courage, my child ; despise not the 
desire of my Son. nor so many sighs which I have 
given for thee, thirsting with him after thy eternal 
salvation. Behold the saints, also, exhorting you, 
and millions of blessed souls sweetly inviting you. and 
wishing nothing more than to see your heart united 
with theirs in praising and loving God forever, assur- 
ing you that the way to heaven is not so hard as the 
world makes it. Be of good courage, clear brother, 
say they : he that shall diligently consider the way of 
devotion, by which we ascended hither, shall see that 
we came to these immortal delights by pleasures in- 
comparably sweeter than these of the world. 

Election. — 1. O hell. I detest thee now and for 
evermore ; I detest thy torments and pains ; I detest 
thy miserable and accursed eternity ; and. above all, 



112 



TEN MEDITATIONS 



I detest those eternal blasphemies and maledictions 
which thou vomitest out eternally against my God. 
And, turning my heart and soul to thee, beautiful 
paradise, everlasting glory, and endless felicity. I 
choose nry habitation forever and irrevocably within 
thy fair and blessed mansions, within thy holy and 
most lovely tabernacles. I bless thy mercy, O my 
God, and accept the offer which it pleaseth thee to 
make me of it. O my sweet Saviour. Jesus. I accept 
thy everlasting love, and the purchase which thou 
hast made for me of a place in this heavenly Jerusa- 
lem, not so much for any other thing as to love and 
bless thee forever and ever. 

2. Accept the favors which the blessed Virgin and 
the saints offer you ; promise them to advance towards 
them ; and give your hand to your good angel, that 
he may guide you thither. Encourage your soul to 
make this choice. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Ibeliece, &c. 

TENTH MEDITATION. BY WAY OF ELECTION AND 

CHOICE WHICH THE SOUE MAKES OF A DEVOUT 
LIFE. 



iREPAR ATTOX . — 1 . Place yourself in the pres- 



JL ence of God. 

2. Prostrate yourself before him, and implore the 
assistance of his grace. 

Considerations. — 1. Imagine yourself again to be 
in a plain field, all alone with your good angel, and 
that you see on your left hand the devil, seated on a 
great high throne, with many infernal spirits about 
him, environed with a great troop of worldlings, who, 
all bareheaded, acknowledge him for their lord, 
and do him homage, some by one sin, and some 
by another. Observe the countenances of all the 
wretched courtiers of this abominable king. Behold 




OF ST. FRANCIS DS SALES. 



113 



some of them transported with hatred, envy, and 
passion ; others killing one another ; others consumed 
with cares, pensive, and anxious to heap up riches ; 
others bent upon vanity, without any manner of 
pleasure but which is empty and unprofitable ; others 
wallowing in the mire, buried and putrefied in their 
brutish affections, Behold how they are without rest, 
order, and decency ; behold how they despise one 
another, and love but in show. In a word, 3 ou shall 
see a lamentable commonwealth miserably tyrannized 
over by this cursed Mug, which will move you to 
compassion. 

2. On the right side, behold Jesus Christ crucified, 
who, with a cordial love, prays for these poor in- 
thralled people, that they may be freed from this 
tyranny, and calls them to himself ; behold round 
him a troop of devout persons with their angels. 
Contemplate the beauty of this kingdom of devotion. 
O, wmat a sight is it to see this troop of virgins, men 
and women, whiter than the lilies ! that assembly of 
widows, full of holy mortification and humility ! See 
the rank of divers married people living peaceably 
together with mutual respect, which cannot be without 
great charity. Consider how these devout souls join 
the exterior care of the house with the care of the in- 
terior, the love of the husband with that of the celestial 
bridegroom. Consider them all universally, and you 
shall see in them a sweet, holy, and lovely order, ob- 
serving our Saviour, whom every one would willingly 
plant in the midst of his heart. They are full of joy ; 
but that joy is comely, charitable, and well ordered. 
They love one another ; but their love is most pure and 
holy. Such as surfer afflictions amongst this devout 
company torment not themselves much, nor lose 
courage. Lastly, behold those e} T es of our Saviour, 
who comforts them, and how they altogether aspire 
to him. 

8 



114 



TEX MEDITATIONS 



3. You have already shaken off Satan, with all his 
cursed execrable troop, by the good affections and 
resolutions you have conceived ; but you are not yet 
arrived at Jesus, nor united with this blessed and 
holy company of devout people, but have hitherto 
kept yourself between the one and the other. 

4. The blessed Virgin, with St. Joseph, and a 
hundred thousand others, who are of the squadron of 
those who have lived in the world, invite and en- 
courage you. And the crucified King himself calls 
you by your name : C ome, my well-beloved, come, 
that I may crown thee. 

Elect ion.. — 1. world ! O abominable troop ! no. 
nevermore shall you see me under your banner. I 
have forever left off your fooleries and vanities. 
king of pride ! O cursed king ! infernal spirit ! I 
renounce thee, with all thy vain pomps ; I detest 
thee, with all thy works ! 

2. And. turning myself to thee, my dear Jesus, 
King of felicity and immortal glory. I embrace thee 
with all the powers of my soul ; 1 adore thee with all 
my heart ; I choose thee now and forever for my 
King ; and, with inviolable fidelity. I pay thee irrev- 
ocable homage, and submit myself to the obedience 
of thy holy laws and ordinances. 

3. O sacred Virgin, my dear Mother, I choose thee 
for my guide : I put myself under thy colors ; I offer 
thee a particular respect and special reverence. 

4. O my good angel, present me to this sacred 
assembly, and forsake me not till I arrive at this 
blessed company, with whom I say, and will say for- 
ever, in testimony of my choice, Live Jesus, live 
Jesus. 

Our Father. Hail Mary^ I believe, &c. 



EVENING PRAYERS. 



LESSED be the most holy and undivided Trinity. 



O my God. I adore thee through the sacred heart 
of thy divine Son. as my Creator and Sovereign 
Good : I give thee thanks for all thy mercies to me. 
spiritual and temporal, general and particular, but 
more especially for the faA T ors bestowed on me this 
day. May thy holy name he eternally praised and 
glorified, and may I never be ungrateful for thy boun- 
ties. Amen. 

my Lord Jesus Christ. Judge of the living and 
the dead, before whom I must one day appear to give 
an exact account of my whole life, enlighten me, I 
beseech thee, and give me a humble and contrite 
heart, that I may see wherein I have offended thy 
infinite majesty, and judge myself now with a just 
severity that thou mayest then judge me with mercy 
and clemency. 

Examine yourself how you have passed the day. what sins 
you have committed against God. your neighbor, or yourself ; 
and reflect whether you have complied with the full duty of 
your state of life. 

THE CONFITEOR. 

I CONFESS to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever 
Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to 
blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter 




115 



116 



E VEXING PRAYERS. 



and Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned 

exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, througJi my 
fa nit, through my fault, through my most grievous 
fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever 
Virgin . the blessed Michael the archangel, the blessed 
John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, 
and all the saints, to pray to the Lord, our God. for 
me. 

May the almighty God have mercy on us, forgive 
us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. 

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us 
pardon, absolution, and remission of all our sins. 
Amen . 

THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

OUPv FATHER, who art in heaven, hallowed be 
thy name ; thy kingdom come ; thy will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our 
daily bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive them that trespass against us. And lead 
us not into temptation ; but deliver us from evil. 
Amen. 

THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION. 

HAIL, MARY, full of grace ; our Lord is with thee : 
blessed art thou amongst women ; and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary. Mother 
of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of 
our death. Amen. 

THE APOSTLES' CREED. 

I BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty. Creator 
of heaven and earth ; and in Jesus Christ, his 
only Son. our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy 
Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pon- 
tius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He 



EVENING PRAYERS . 



117 



descended into hell : the third day he rose again from 
the dead : he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the 
right hand of God the Father Almighty ; from thence 
he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I 
believe in the Holy Ghost ; the Holy Catholic Church ; 
the communion of saints ; the forgiveness of sins ; 
the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. 
Amen. 

MOST merciful Lord, I am sorry from the bottom 
of my heart for all the sins i have committed, 
purely because they are offensive to thee, who art a 
God of infinite goodness ; I sincerely detest them, 
and firmly purpose, through thy holy grace, never to 
offend thee any more. Enlighten my understanding, 
and strengthen my will, that I may persevere in thy 
favor till death. Amen. 

my God, I filing believe all the sacred truths 
the Catholic Church believes and teaches, because 
thou hast revealed them. 

Relying on thy goodness and promises, I hope to 
obtain the pardon of my sins, and life everlasting, 
through the merits of Jesus Christ, and by the inter- 
cession of his blessed Mother, and of all the saints. 

1 love thee, above all things, with my whole heart 
and soul, purely for thyself, and I desire to love thee 
as the blessed do in heaven. I also love my neigh- 
bor, for thy sake, as I love myself. And I sincerely 
forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of 
all whom I have injured. 

I adore all the designs of thy divine providence, 
resigning myself entirely to thy will. I renounce the 
devil with all his works, the world with all its pomps, 
and the flesh with all its temptations. I desire to be 
dissolved, and to be with Christ. 

V. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. 

it. Sweet Jesus, receive my soul. 



118 



EVENING PRATERS. 



May the blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joseph, and all 
the saints and angels, glorify and love the sacred 
heart of Jesns for me this night, and pray for me to 
our Lord that I may be preserved during it from all 
sin and evil. 

Blessed St. Michael, defend me in the day of bat- 
tle, that I may not be lost at the dreadful judgment. 
O angel of God. to whose care I have been committed 
by the supreme clemency, enlighten, govern, and de- 
fend me. this night, from all sin and danger. 

Save me. O Lord, waking, and keep me. sleeping, 
that I may watch with Christ, and rest in peace. 
Amen. 

F. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this night to keep me with- 
out sin. 

II. Have mercy on me, Lord, have mercy on me. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

ii. And let my supplication come unto thee. 

Visit. I beseech thee, O Lord, this habitation, and 
drive from it all the snares of the enemy. Let thy 
holy angels dwell herein to preserve me in peace : and 
may thy blessing be upon us forever, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

God the Father, bless me: Jesus Christ, defend 
and keep me : divine Spirit, enlighten and sanctify 
me. this night and forever. And may the souls of 
the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest 
in peace. Amen. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, I humbly beg of thee, by the 
precious blood thou didst shed for me in the garden 
of Olives, that thou wilt give thy blessing to those 
who are in their agony ; that thou wilt deliver the poor 
souls from purgatory, but especially the most aban- 
doned. Conduct them to thy glory, where they will 
praise and bless thee forever and ever. Amen. 



EVENING PRAYERS. 



119 



LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

WE fly to thy patronage, holy Mother of Gocl : 
despise not our petitions in our necessities, but 
deliver us from all dangers, O ever-glorious and blessed 
Virgin. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy 
on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 
Mother of Christ, 
Mother of divine grace, 
Mother most pure, 
Mother most chaste, 
Mother undefiled, 
Mother inviolate, 
Mother most amiable, 
Mother most admirable, 
Mother of our Creator, 
Mother of our Redeemer, 
Virgin most prudent, 
Virgin most venerable, 
Virgin most renowned, 

* Three hundred days Indulgence are granted those who recite the above Litany 
daily, and a Plenary indulgence of the Feasts of our Blessed Lady, viz., the Im- 
maculate Conception, the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Purification, and the 
Assumption, on condition that, being truly contrite for their sins, having con- 
fessed and communicated, they visit a church or public oratory, and pray accord- 
ing to the intention of the Pope. — Raccolta delle Indulgenze- 



■9 



120 



EVENING PRAYERS. 



Virgin most powerful, 
Virgin most merciful, 
Virgin most faithful, 
Mirror of justice, 
Seat of wisdom, 
Cause of our joy, 
Spiritual vessel, 
Vessel of honor, 
Vessel of singular devotion, 
Mystical rose, 
Tower of David, 
Tower of ivory, 
House of gold, 
Ark of the covenant, 
Gate of heaven, 
Morning star, 
Health of the weak, 
Refuge of sinners, 
Comforter of the afflicted, 
Help of Christians, 
Queen of angels, 
Queen of patriarchs, 
Queen of prophets, 
Queen of apostles, 
Queen of martyrs, 
Queen of confessors, 
Queen of virgins, 
Queen of all saints, 
Queen conceived without sin, 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Spare us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Graciously hear us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 



EVENING PRAYERS. 



121 



Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into 
our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, 
thy Son, has been made known by the message of an 
angel, may, by his passion and death, be brought to 
the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

DE PROFUNDI S. 

OUT of the depths I have cried to thee, Lord. 
Lord, hear my voice. 
Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my sup- 
plication. 

If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, viio 
shall stand it? 

For with thee there is merciful forgiveness ; and by 
reason of thy law I have waited for thee, O Lord. 

My soul hath relied on his word : my soul hath' hoped 
in the Lord. 

From the morning w T atch even until night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord there is mercy ; and with him 
plentiful redemption. 

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. 

V. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light shine upon them. 

V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faith- 
ful, grant to the souls of thy servants departed the 



122 



EVENING PRAYERS 



remission of all their sins. that, through pious sup- 
plications, they may obtain that pardon which they 
have alwaj-s desired ; who livest and reignest with the 
Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God. 
world without end. Amen. 



AFTER EVENING PRAYERS. 

WHILST UNDRESSING. 

DIVEST my soul. O my Jesus, of all sin and of 
all affection to sin : of all pride and vanity : of 
all self-will and self-love ; of whatever is in the least 
displeasing to thy divine majesty. 

WHEN GOING TO BED. 

IX the name of our Lord Jesus Christ crucified. I 
lay me down to rest : bless me. O Lord, defend 
and govern me. and after this short and miserable pil- 
grimage bring me to everlasting happiness. Amen. 

WHEN CLOSING YOUR EYES TO SLEEP. 

OLORD JESUS, whose unwearied eye neither 
slumbers nor sleeps, but continually watches in 
defence of thy servants, receive me. I beseech thee, 
into thy protection this night, and grant that when 
my body is asleep my soul may be awake to thee, 
and that I ma}' one day behold that blessed and 
heavenly country, where thou, with the Father and 
the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest forever. Amen. 



EVENING PRAYERS. 



123 



DURING THE NIGHT. 

On awaking during the hours of rest, make the sign of the 
cross, and say, 

GREAT GOD ! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ! I 
adore thee truly, present here by tlry immensity, 
which fills all space ; and I rejoice with adoring love 
and gratitude that in thee we live, move, and have 
our being. 

Then, in spirit before the tabernacle, say, 

My divine Jesus, Lover of mankind, I thank thee 
for thy tender and loving condescension, in remaining 
with us day and night. O angels of our sanctuary, 
love, praise, and adore my Jesus for me. 



A SHORT REGULATION OF LIFE. 



LET a love for virtue, the desire of serving God 
according to the end of your creation, and of 
improving this short time for a blessed eternity, in- 
duce you to adopt the following regulation of life for 
j'ours : 

EVERY DAY. 

1. Faithfully discharge the duty of morning and 
evening prayer. 

2. Dedicate some time to the practice of mental 
prayer. 

3. Assist at the adorable sacrifice of the Mass. 

4. Every day rise early, in order to be able to per- 
form the above, at least soon enough never to indulge 
sloth. 

5. Have your fixed and regular hours to attend to 
the duties of your state ; and usefully to fill up your 
tune. 

6. Every day give some time to spiritual reading ; 
if prevented, supply it, by the remembrance of past 
lectures, instructions, and good sentiments. 

7. Never go to bed without the previous exanien of 
your conscience. 

If you desire to know more of the manner of sancti- 
fying your daily actions, such as meals, conversation, 
work, recreations, &c., the lessons laid down in spir- 
itual books, the instructions of a spiritual father, your 
own wants, with a great attention and fidelity to God's 
grace and lights, will inform you. 

124 



A SHORT REGULATION OF LIFE. 



125 



Let the following general rules ever guide von : 

1st. The frequent remembrance of God's presence. 

2d. Purity of intention in all you do. proposing to 
yourself God's will and pleasure. &c. 

3d. To be attentive to your predominant passions 
or evil inclinations, and to apply yourself to the con- 
quering of them. Think yourself never happier than 
when you have wherein to overcome yourself, both on 
the account of honoring God by the homage of some 
victory, and on account of the opportunity given you 
of increasing your merits and augmenting your crown 
in heaven. 

EVERY WEEK. 

Have a care to perform some act of charity, cor- 
poral or spiritual, in the assistance of your neighbor ; 
also some act of penance. 

On the Fridays, honor in a particular manner the 
passion of our Lord ; on the Saturdays, our blessed 
Lady ; often recommend yourself to her special pro- 
tection. At the end of the week make a general ex- 
amen of your conscience and purpose for the next, 

EVERY MONTH. 

Approach the sacraments ; wish for the dispositions 
and opportunity that might enable you to receive them 
oftener. Prepare yourself with all diligence possible 
to receive them with fruit. Do not pass over any 
plenary indulgence ; pay a particular regard to the 
feasts occurring in the month. 

Every month make your preparation for death ; 
settle both spiritual and temporal arfairs to this end. 
Pray often for the grace of final perseverance. 



126 



A SHORT REGULATION OF LIFE. 



EVERY YEAR. 

Make a sort of spiritual retreat of eight days, at 
least of three ; take then a review of the state of your 
conscience ; make a general confession of your sins 
for the year past, if judged proper ; renew your reso- 
lutions ; lay some new plan for your further advance- 
ment ; take the advice of your spiritual director, and 
receive his counsels with humility. 

Do this, and thou skalt live." (Luke x. 26.) 



PRAYERS. 



ACTS OF CONTRITION, FAITH, HOPE, AXD 
CHARITY.* 



A PRAYER BEFORE THE ACTS. 

O ALMIGHTY and eternal God, grant unto us an 
increase of faith, hope, and charity, and, that 
we may obtain what thou promisest, make us love 
what thou commandest, through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

AX ACT OF CONTRITION. 

I AM heartily sorry. O my God, that I have offended 
thee by transgressing thy divine commandments, 
because I love thee above all things, who art infinite 
goodness and infinite perfection. I now firmly pur- 
pose, with the assistance of thy grace, never to offend 
thee hereafter. 

AN ACT OF FAITH. 

I MOST firmly believe, O my God, whatever thy 
Holy Catholic Church proposes to my belief, be- 
cause thou, who art the infallible truth, hast revealed 

* So indispensable necessary is it considered to make frequent use of the Acts 
of Faith. Hope, and Charity, that a Plenary Indulgence is granted once a month 
to those who shall daily devoutly recite, and at the same time make with their 
hearts, the said Acts. This Indulgence may be gained on any day, when truly 
penitent for their sins, having confessed and communicated, they shall pray for 
the Church. &c. 

An Indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines every time anyone shall 
make these Acts devoutly in their hearts, and say them with their lips. — See 
Raccolta delle Indulgence. 

127 



128 



UNIVERSAL PRAYER. 



it. I believe that there is one God in three distinct 
persons — the Father, and the Son, and the Holy 
Ghost. I believe that the second Person, the Son 
of God, became Man, suffered, and died on the cross 
for our redemption ; that he arose from the dead, as- 
cended into heaven, and, at the end of the world, shall 
come to judge all mankind according to their works, 
and reward the just with eternal glory, and punish 
the wicked with everlasting pains. In this faith I am 
firmly resolved to live and die. 

AN ACT OF HOPE. 

MY God, because thou art all-pow r erfnl, infinitely 
merciful, and infinitely good, I hope, through 
the merits of Jesus Christ, to obtain forgiveness of 
mj sins, grace in this life, and eternal glory in the 
next, which thou hast promised to all those who do 
the good w r orks that thou hast commanded, and which, 
with thy divine assistance, I now purpose to perform. 

AN ACT OF CHARITY. 

I LOVE thee, my God, above all things, with my 
whole heart, because thou art infinitely good, infi- 
nitely perfect, and worthy of all love ; and for thy 
sake I love ury neighbor as myself. 



UNIVERSAL PRAYER 
FOR ALL THINGS NECESSARY TO SALVATION. 

OMY God, I believe in thee ; do thou strengthen 
my faith. All my hopes are in thee ; do thou 
secure them. I love thee with my whole heart ; teach 
me to love thee daily more and more. I am sorry 



UNIVERSAL PRAYER. 



129 



that I have offended thee ; do thou increase my 
sorrow. 

I adore thee as my first beginning ; I aspire after 
thee as my last end ; I give thee thanks as my con- 
stant Benefactor ; I call upon thee as my sovereign 
Protector. 

Vouchsafe, O my God, to conduct me by thy wis- 
dom, to restrain me by thy justice, to comfort me by 
thy mercy, to defend me by thy power. 

To thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, 
words, actions, and sufferings, that henceforward I 
may think of thee, speak of thee, willingly refer all 
my actions to thy greater glory, and suffer willingly 
whatever thou shaft appoint. Lord, I desire that in 
all things thy will may be done, because it is thy will, 
and in the manner thou wiliest. 

I beg of thee to enlighten my understanding, to 
inflame my willj to purify my bocty, and sanctify my 
soul. 

Give me strength, my God. to expiate my of- 
fences, to overcome temptations, to subdue nry pas- 
sions, and to acquire the virtues proper for my state. 

Fill my heart with tender affection for thy good- 
ness, a hatred for my faults, a love for my neighbor, 
and a contempt for the world. 

Let me always remember to be submissive to my 
superiors, condescending to my inferiors, faithful to 
my friends, and charitable to my enemies. 

Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, 
avarice by almsdeeds, anger b}^ meekness, and tepid- 
ity by devotion. 

my God, make me prudent in my undertakings, 
courageous in dangers, patient in afflictions, and hum- 
ble in prosperity. 

Grant that I may be ever attentive at my prayers, 
temperate at my meals, diligent in my employments, 
and constant in my good resolutions. 
9 



130 FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK, 



Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my 
exterior modest, my conversation edifying, and my 
comportment regular . 

Assist me to overcome nature, to correspond with 
thy grace, to keep thy commandments, and to work 
out nry salvation. 

Discover to me, O my God, the nothingness of this 
world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, 
and the length of eternity. 

Grant that I may prepare for death, that I may 
fear thy judgments, that I may escape hell, and. in 
the end, obtain heaven, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



FOR EVERY DAY IX THE "WEEK. 
SUNDAY. 

There are three who give testimony in heaven — the Fa- 
ther, the Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one. 

1 John v. 7. 

PRAYER TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. 

GLORY be to the Father, who, by his power, hath 
brought me forth from nothing, and created me 
to his own likeness. Glory be to the Son, who, by 
his wisdom, hath delivered me from hell, and opened 
heaven for me. Glory be to the Holy Ghost, who, 
by his mercy, hath sanctified me in baptism, and still 
continues to sanctify me by the graces which I every 
day receive from him. Glory to the three adorable 
persons of the blessed Trinity, as great now, and for- 
ever, as it was from the beginning. We adore thee, 
O hoi}' Trinity ; we worship thee ; we most humbly 
give thee thanks for having revealed to us this glorious, 



FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK.: 



131 



incomprehensible mystery. Grant that, by con- 
tinuing to profess, to the last moment of our lives, 
this holy faith, we may behold, and glorify eternally 
in heaven, what we are now believing on earth — ■ 
One God in Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



MOHDAY. 

It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that 
they may be loosened from their sins." 2 Mach. xii. 46. 

PRAYER FOR THE SUFFERING SOULS OF PURGATORY. 

OGOD of all consolation, sole Author of the 
salvation of souls, have mercy on those who 
suffer in purgatory ; look with compassion on the 
greatness of their torments. The} T are more keenly 
devoured by their ardent desire of being united to 
thee than by the purging flames wherein they are 
plunged. With them I adore thy avenging justice, 
and confess the equity of thy judgments ; but since 
thou art pleased favorably to hear the prayers which 
the members of thy holy Church offer to thee in 
behalf of their brethren, graciously hear the supplica- 
tion which I now address to thee for those suffering 
souls. Remember, O Lord, thou art their Father, 
and they are thy children. Forget the faults which, 
through the frailty of human nature, they have com- 
mitted against thee during the course of their mortal 
pilgrimage. Adorable Jesus, Victim of propitiation 
both for the living and the dead, vouchsafe, in thy 
quality of Kedeemei\ to apply the merits of thy 
passion and death to the relief of those souls whom 
thou punishest as their sovereign Judge. Remem- 
ber, O Lord, that they are thy living members, thy 
faithful followers, thy spouses. Let some drops of 



132 



FOR EVERT DAY IN THE WEEK. 



that precious blood which thou hast shed for their 
salvation flow on those devouring flames : and let the 
infinite price of that sacred blood afford a full satis- 
faction for their offences. Deliver them. O most 
merciful God. from that place of darkness and 
torture, and call them to a place of refreshment, 
light, and peace. Grant them the possession of the 
sovereign good after which they so ardently sigh, and 
for which thou hast created them. Eeceive them 
into thy paternal bosom, where they will praise and 
love thee to all eternity. Amen. 



Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for 
those who shall receive the- inheritance of salvation? 



PRAYER TO OUR AX GEL GUARDIAN. 

HOLY Angel, to whose care God. in his mercy. 



hath committed me. thou who as>isn->t me in my 
wants, who consolest me in my afflictions, who 
supportest me when dejected, and who constantly 
obtainest for me new favors, I return thee now most 
sincere and humble thanks : and I conjure thee. O 
amiable guide, to continue still thy care, to defend 
me against my enemies, to remove from me the 
occasions of sin. to obtain for me a docility to thy 
holy inspirations, to protect me. in particular, at the 
hour of my death", and then conduct me to the 
mansions of eternal repose. Amen. 



GLORIOUS St. Michael, prince of the heavenly 
host, who standest always ready to give assist- 
ance to the people of God. who didst right with the 



TUESDAY. 



Heb. i. 15. 




PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEE.. 



FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK. 



133 



dragon, the old serpent, and didst cast him out of 
heaven, and now valiantly defendest the Church 
of God. that the gates of hell may never prevail 
against her. I earnestly entreat thee to assist me 
also in the painful and dangerous conflict which I 
have to sustain against the same formidable foe. 
Be with me. mighty prince, that I may coura- 
geously fight and happily vanquish that proud dragon 
whom thou hast, by the divine power, so gloriously 
overcome, and whom our powerful King. Jesus 
Christ, has. in our nature, so completely overthrown, 
to the end that, having triumphed over the enemy 
of my salvation. I may. with thee and the holy 
angels, praise the clemency of God. who. having 
refused mercy to the revolted angels after their fall, 
has granted repentance and forgiveness to fallen man. 



WEDNESDAY. 

Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, 
who is called Christ. Matt. i. 16. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH. 

OGEE AT saint, who art the wise and faithful 
servant whom God hath charged with the care 
of his family : thou whom he hath established the 
guardian and protector of the life of Jesus, the 
consoler and support of his Mother, and his faithful 
associate in the great design of our redemption ; 
thou who hadst the happiness to live with Jesus and 
Mary, and to expire in their arms : chaste spouse of 
the Mother of God : thou model of pure, humble, 
and interior souls. — be touched with the confidence 
we have in thee . and graciously accept these testi- 
monies of devotion. We return God thanks for the 
favors he hath bestowed on thee : and we beg, 



134 



FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK. 



through thy intercession, that we may imitate thy 
virtues. Pray for us. then. O glorious saint : and by 
that love thou always hadst for Jesus and for Mary, 
and which Jesus and Mary had also for thee, obtain 
for us the incomparable advantage of living and 
dying in their holy love. Amen. 

THURSDAY. 

My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 
He who eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in 
me, and I in him. John vi. 56. 57. 

PRAYER TO JESUS IX THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

O SWEET and adorable Jesus, who. in the excess 
of thy love, art pleased to dwell with us in the 
sacrament of the altar. I here acknowledge thee as 
my Sovereign and my God ; I adore thee with the 
most profound humility : I thank thee with all my 
heart for the tenderness thou here showest us in spite 
of the treatment thou receivest. Pierced with the 
sincerest grief at the sight of our ingratitude. I come, 
O God of majesty, to make thee some poor amends 
for all the sacrileges and the impiety which were ever 
committed, or ever will be committed, against this 
adorable sacrament. Why cannot I. O God. suffi- 
ciently testify my own regret for having so often 
appeared before thee with indifference, and for having 
approached thee with so little fervor and so little 
love? Forget. O Lord, our iniquities, that thou 
mayest only remember thy own infinite mercies. 
Deign to accept the desire I have of honoring thee in 
this amiable sacrament. Yes. I wish with all my 
heart to love thee, to bless, to praise, and to adore 
thee here, as much as saints and angels do : and I 
conjure thee, by this sacred body and this most 



FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK. 



135 



precious blood, that I may henceforth honor thee so 
fervently, and receive thee so worthily, that, after 
this life, I may praise thee forever with thy saints in 
heaven. Amen. 

FRIDAY. 

Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that ye 
should follow his steps. 1 Pet. ii. 21. 

PRAYER TO JESUS SUFFERING. 

O SPOTLESS Lamb. innocent Victim, who, by 
thy death and blood, hast effaced the sins of 
mankind, blot out my iniquities, and do not permit 
that thy sufferings should become useless to me. O 
Jesns. abandoned by every one. sorrowful, desolate, 
and resigned to death, help me now to receive with a 
resignation like thine whatever afflictions thou shalt 
please to send me. O Jesus, calumniated, accused, 
despised, teach me to look down on the judgments 
of men. and to surfer with patience the most base in- 
juries. O Jesus, torn with stripes, pierced with 
thorns, weltering in blood for my sake, teach me to 
endure, for love of thee, the anguish and inconven- 
ience of ill health and sickness. O Jesus, abandoned 
to executioners, shamefully condemned to a cross, 
enable me to fly all vainglory, and embrace the most 
humbling confusion. O Jesus, sinking under the weight 
of thy cross. I unite myself to thee, and my cross 
also to thine ; may I ever carry it with the same 
strength and sweetness which thou didst. O Jesus, 
raised up on thy cross, draw me now powerfully to 
thee. Thou art expiring for my sake ; O. let me 
never live but for thine, that, being henceforth cruci- 
fied with thee, my whole occupation may be to love, 
to praise, and to adore thee. Amen. 



136 



FOR EVERY DAY IN THE WEEK* 



SATURDAY. 

Behold, from henceforth, all the nations shall call me 
blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things in me. 

Luke i. 48, 49. 

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

O BLESSED Virgin, Mother of God, and by this 
august quality worthy of all respect from men 
and angels, I come to offer thee my most humble 
homage, and to implore the aid of thy prayers and 
protection. 

Thou art all-powerful with the Almighty, and thy 
goodness for mankind is equal to thy influence in 
heaven. Thou knowest, blessed Virgin, that, from 
my tender years, I looked up to thee as my Mother, 
my Advocate, and Patroness ; thou wert pleased to 
consider me, from that time, as one of thy children ; 
and whatever graces I have received from God, I 
confess with humble gratitude that it is through thee 
I received them. Why was I not as faithful in thy 
service as thou wert bountiful in assisting me ? But 
I will henceforth serve, honor, and love thee. Accept, 
O blessed Virgin, my protestations of fidelity ; look 
favorably on the confidence I have in thee. Obtain 
for me, of thy dear Son, a lively faith, a firm hope, 
a tender, generous, and constant love ; obtain for me 
a purity that nothing can soil, a humilit}' that noth- 
ing can elate, a patient submission to the will of God 
that nothing can ever disturb — in fine, O glorious 
Virgin, obtain for me so faithful an imitation of thy 
virtue in my life, that I ma}' experience the power of 
thy protection at my death. Amen. 



PRAYERS. 



TO BEG COUNSEL OR DIRECTION. 

ANGEL of the great council, and most charitable 
counsellor of all that apply to thee for advice, 
I come to consult thee, and to ask thee for light and 
direction. Let me know, I beseech thee, how I am 
to act, and what is most agreeable to thy will. Let 
me know, by means best known to thyself, what it is 
that thou requirest of me. Teach me in what man- 
ner I am to conduct myself, and the means I am to 
make use of. that every particular in this concern 
may succeed to thy glory, and the welfare of my soul. 
I offer thee a heart prepared to follow thy divine di- 
rections, and to execute thy orders, because it is in 
thee that I place all my hopes, and desire nothing 
more than the accomplishment of thy will. Let, 
therefore, thy divine light shine on me, and do not 
abandon me to my own darkness. Amen. 

TO IMPLORE ASSISTANCE AT THE BEGINNING OF AN 
UNDERTAKING. 

I COME to thee. O Jesus, before I commence this 
undertaking, to consecrate it, through thy hands, 
to the glory of thy eternal Father, and to implore thy 
succor, that it may be executed in the maimer most 
agreeable to him. Thou knowest that without thee I 
can do nothing ; grant me, then, the necessary assist- 
ance to accomplish the will of thy heavenly Father ; 
to observe faithfully all the laws of justice, and keep 

137 



138 



PRAYERS. 



myself free from sin in the execution of this under- 
taking, or, rather, take the charge of the whole upon 
thyself. Conduct it by thy wisdom ; execute it by 
thy power, and bring every thing to a happy issue, 
through thy infinite goodness, to the glory of thy 
Father, and to the eternal salvation of my soul. 
Amen . 

OX A PROSPEROUS EVEXT. 

ETEKXAL Spring, whence all good things flow, 
I am come to return thee thanks for the success 
with which my affairs have been attended. TV hat- 
ever pleasure my natural inclinations may find in it. 
I nevertheless wish to rejoice only for the glory that 
redounds from it to thee, because thy goodness in 
my regard is there displayed, and thy holy will ac- 
complished. Close up my heart. Jesus, against 
all earthly consolations, and grant that it may take 
pleasure in thee alone. Sinter not the temporal bless- 
ings thou bestowest on me to attach me to creatures, 
or to be an occasion of sin to me : neither let them 
be a compensation for the little good 1 do, but make 
me worthy of receiving the recompense of heaven. 

OX A DISASTROUS ISSUE. 

AS a person in affliction naturally has recourse to 
a faithful friend for comfort, so, O Jesus. I am 
come to seek consolation from thee, my most tender 
and most faithful Friend. Thou seest how dejected 
my heart is, from what hath befallen me. O, grant 
me strength. I beseech thee, that I may be able to 
bear my affliction with fortitude, and receive it in thy 
spirit. I adore thy divine justice which has over- 
taken me : I receive with respect and submission all 
its chastisements ; I return thanks for them, as for 
so main' signal favors and testimonies of the love of 



PRAYERS 



139 



God. I accept them in the spirit of homage, and 
with the view of honoring thy labors and sufferings. 
I offer them through thy hand, and in union with thy 
sufferings, to my heavenly Father, in satisfaction for 
my sins, sincerely acknowledging that I have deserved 
much greater. I praise his goodness for haying 
treated me with so much lenity, and readily submit 
to whatever other chastisements he may please to 
inflict on me hereafter. I only beg of him strength 
to bear them in the manner I ought, and the un- 
deserved favor of not being punished during eternity. 
Amen. 

ODER TEMPTATIONS. 

LORD, thy enemies and mine have risen up against 
me ; they seek my soul to destroy it. and use 
their utmost endeavors to drag it into the bottomless 
pit. I therefore come and cast myself at thy feet, to 
implore thy succor. Ah. suffer not that soul, which 
thou hast redeemed at the price of thy blood, to be- 
come their prey. Be thou my protector and my 
refuge ; receive me into thy arms, and shield me from 
their rage : confound their devices ; destroy their 
power : disappoint their malice. Thy glory. my 
Saviour, is concerned in not suffering those that be- 
long to thee to fall into the hands of thy enemies. 
Support me. therefore. I beseech tbee. in the severe 
conflicts I have to sustain against them, and make me 
victorious over all their efforts. Amen. 

OF SUBMISSION AND CONFIDENCE. 

LOED. I know not what I ought to ask of thee. 
Thou alone knowest what I want : thou lovest 
me better than I can love myself. O Father, give to 
thy child that which she knows not how to ask. I 
dare not ask either for crosses or consolations ; I only 



140 



PRAYERS. 



present irrvself before thee ; I lay open to thee my 
heart ; behold my necessities, and act according to 
thy mercies ; strike or cure, raise up or cast down. I 
adore thy divine will without knowing it. I hold my 
peace ; I sacrifice and abandon myself to thee ; I 
have no other desire than to accomplish thy divine 
will. Amen. 



J v thank thee for having created and redeemed 
me through Jesus Christ. I thank thee most sin- 
cerely for having made me a Christian by giving me 
the true faith, and by adopting me as thy child in 
the sacrament of baptism. I thank thee for having, 
after the numberless sins I have committed, waited 
for my repentance, and for having pardoned, as I 
humbly hope, all my offences, for which I am now 
sincerely sorry, because they displeased thee, who 
art infinite goodness. I thank thee for having pre- 
served me so frequently from relapsing into my 
former sins, which I certainly should have done had 
it not been for thy divine protection. But my en- 
emies still continue to persecute me, and until the 
moment of my death they will unceasingly endeavor 
to make me their slave. If thou dost not constantly 
guard and succor me with thy aid. I. a miserable 
creature, shall return to sin, and certain!}' lose thy 
grace. I beseech thee, then, for the love of Jesus 
Christ, to grant me holy perseverance unto death. 

Jesus thy Son has promised that thou wilt grant 
whatsoever we ask in his name. Through the merits, 
then, of Jesus Christ I beg, for myself and for all the 
just, the grace never again to be separated from thy 
love, but to love thee forever, in time and eternity. 
Mary, Mother of God. pray to Jesus for me. 



TO OBTAIN FINAL PERSEVERANCE. 




PRAYERS . 



141 



FOR THE WHOLE STATE OF CHRIST'S CHURCH UPON 
EARTH. AND ALL THE INTENTIONS OF A JUBILEE 
INDULGENCE . 

O ETERNAL FATHEE of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Creator of all thing's visible and invisible. Source 
of all our good : infinitely good in thyself, and infi- 
nitely gracious, bountiful, and good to us : behold, 
we. thy poor servants, the work of thy hands, re- 
deemed by the blood of thy only Son. come, in answer 
to his summons, by his vicegerent, to present our- 
selves as humble petitioners before the throne of thy 
mercy. We come all in a body at this time, even all 
thy people upon earth ; and we come in communion 
with all thy Church in heaven, hoping to be assisted 
by their prayers and merits, and with Jesus Christ at 
our head, our High Priest and Mediator, in whose 
precious blood we all put our trust. We prostrate 
ourselves before thee, and most humbly beseech thee 
to sanctify thy own most holy name, by sanctifying 
and exalting thy holy Catholic Church throughout the 
world. O eternal King, who hast sent thy only Son 
from thy throne above, to establish a kingdom amongst 
us. from whence we might hereafter be translated to 
thy eternal kingdom, look down, we beseech thee, 
upon this kingdom of thy Son. and propagate it 
through all nations. Give to it saints for its rulers, 
its chief pastors, and all its other prelates ; enlighten 
them all with heaveny wisdom, and make them men 
according to thy own heart. 

Give thy grace and blessing to all the clergy, and 
send amongst them that heavenly fire which thy Son 
came to enkindle on earth : assist and protect all apos- 
tolical missionaries, that they may zealously and ef- 
fectually promote thy glory and the salvation of souls. 
Sanctify all men and women of religious orders : give 
them grace to serve thee with perfection, according to 



U2 



PRAYERS. 



the spirit of their institute, and to shine like lights to 
the rest of the faithful. Have mercy on all Christian 
rulers, and grant them those lights and graces that 
are necessary for the perfect discharge of their duty 
to thee and to their subjects. 

Have merc}^ on all magistrates and those in power, 
that they may fear thee, love thee, and serve thee, 
and ever remember that they are thy deputies and 
ministers of tlry justice. Have mercy on all through- 
out the world, and give a blessing to thy inheritance, 
and grace to all thy children upon earth, that they 
may do thy will in all things, even as the blessed do 
in heaven. 

Extend thy mercy also to all who sit in darkness 
and in the shadow of death : to those nations that 
know thee not, and that have not yet received the 
faith and law of thy Son. Remember, O Lord, that 
all are made after thy own image and likeness, and 
redeemed by the blood of thy Son. Let not Satan 
any longer exercise his tyranny over thy creatures, 
to the great dishonor of thy name. Let not the pre- 
cious blood of thy Son be shed for them in vain. Send 
among them apostolic laborers, endued with the like 
graces and gifts as thy apostles, that all may be 
brought to know thee, love thee, and serve thee in 
thy Church, and bless thee hereafter for all eternity. 
Look down also with compassion on all those who 
have gone from the paths of truth and unit}', and 
from the one fold of the one Shepherd, thy only Son, 
Jesus Christ, in the by-paths of error and schism. 
O, bring them back to thee and to thy Church. Dis- 
pel their darkness by thy heavenly light ; take the 
veil from their eyes, with which the enemy has blind- 
folded them ; let them see how they have been misled 
by misapprehensions and misrepresentations. Re- 
move the prejudices of their education ; take from 
them the spirit of obstinacy, pride, and self-conceit. 



PRAYERS 



143 



Give them a humble and docile heart : give them a 
strong desire of finding out thy truth, and grace to 
enable them to embrace it, in spite of all the opposi- 
tion of the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

O Father of lights and God of all truth, purify the 
world from errors, abuses, corruptions, and vices. 
Beat down the standard of Satan, and set up the 
standard of Christ. Abolish the reign of sin. and 
establish the kingdom of grace in all hearts. Let 
humility triumph over pride and ambition ; charity 
over hatred, envy, and malice : purity and temper- 
ance over lust and excess : meekness over passion ; 
and disinterestedness and poverty of spirit over 
eovetousness and love of this perishable world. Let 
the gospel of Jesus Christ, both in its belief and prac- 
tice, prevail throughout the universe. 

Grant to us thy peace, O Lord, even that peace 
which thy Son bequeathed as a legacy to his disciples, 
a peace with thee, a peace with one another, and a 
perpetual peace within ourselves. Grant that all 
Christian rulers may love, cherish, and maintain an 
inviolable peace among themselves. Give them a 
right sense of the evils that attend on wars, and an 
everlasting horror of the innumerable sacrileges, and 
the eternal loss of so many thousand souls as are the 
dismal consequences of war. Turn their hearts to 
another warfare. Teach them to fight for a heavenly 
kingdom. 

Eemove. O Lord, thy wrath, which we have reason 
to apprehend is hanging over our heads for our sins. 
Deliver us from the dreadful evil of mortal sin. Make 
all sinners sensible of their misery : give them the 
grace of a sincere conversion, and a truly penitential 
spirit. Preserve Christendom, and in particular this 
nation, from the evils that threaten impenitent sin- 
ners — as plagues, famine, earthquakes, tires, inunda- 
tions, sudden and unprovided death, and thy many 



144 



PRAYERS. 



other judgments here, and eternal damnation here- 
after. Comfort all that are under affliction, sickness, 
or violence of pain. Support all that are under temp- 
tation ; reconcile all that are at variance ; deliver all 
that are in slavery or captivity : defend all that are 
in danger ; grant a relief to all in their respective 
necessities ; give a happy relief to all that are in their 
agony. Grant thy blessing to our friends and bene- 
factors, to all those for whom we are particularly 
bound to pray ; and mercy to our enemies. Give 
eternal rest to the faithful departed, and bring us all 
to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ, thy Son. 
Amen. 

FOR THE CHOICE OF A STATE OF LIFE. 

O ETERNAL GOD, who art the Light of the 
world, and for whose glory the whole creation 
is ordained, to thee I submit myself, and my whole 
life ; and that I may live to thy glory, I beseech thee 
in thy mercy to direct me in the choice of a state of 
life. that, having thee for my Guide. I may embrace 
that course which may be most pleasing to thee, and 
most proper for me to work out my salvation. 

O Queen of heaven and Mother of Jesus, be a mother 
to me, and obtain for me of thy divine Son that I may 
hear his call, know his will, and have grace readily to 
put it in execution. Amen. 

FOR PARENTS. 

ASSIST me, O heavenly Father, in discharging 
my duty to my children ; give me that true 
Christian discretion, that I may see what to grant, 
what to deny, and let neither passion, ill humor, or 
fondness make me yield to them in any thing that 
will be to the prejudice of either soul or body : enable 
me always to give them good examples, to preserve 



PRAYERS. 



145 



them from ill company, from hearing or seeing what 
may induce them to evil, and when the}' do amiss to 
timely correct them out of love, but not in passion. 
Deliver me from all manner of prodigality, from ail 
intemperance, idleness, vanity, or airy neglect or ill 
management that may hinder me from providing for 
their comfortable subsistence in this life, and also for 
preparing them for unhappiness, b\- being too solici- 
tous to make them worldly great. 

Direct me, O God, in all particulars that can con- 
tribute to their Christian education, and help me to 
remove from them all that may do them harm. De- 
liver me from all indiscreet partialities, from discour- 
aging them, or showing any unreasonable uneasiness, 
as may put them upon rash methods for the remedy 
of the troubles the t y find at home. Be thou a Father 
to them, and supply, by thy goodness, whatever is 
wanting in me ; preserve them against the corruption 
of the world, of sin, and all evil, and move them to 
all good. Deliver them from the effects of a vain 
and unconstant mind, and make them always thy 
faithful children here, that they may come at length 
to that happiness which Christ has purchased for them. 
Amen. 

FOR A HUSBAND OR WIFE. 

OGOD, who hast ordained this state wherein-I am 
engaged, give me grace to comply with all its 
obligations, and help to perform them in such a man- 
ner that in every one I may show I have a faith in 
thee, and am not an unbeliever. 

Preserve my love undefiled, according to thy com- 
mand, and let the duty of love help to carry me with 
comfort through all obligations and difficulties of my 
state : give me discretion to manage ail circumstances 
to the best, a true love for peace, and such a discreet 
compliance as to resign nry own inclinations and ways 
10 



146 



PRAYERS. 



for keeping it. a true humility and patience, that I 
ma}' submit to and bear all in the manner the apostle 
requires ; and furnish me with all other helps, that, 
whatever my difficulties be, I may still go on with 
cheerfulness, satisfying the duties of my state, and 
never so far yield to any weakness, impatience, or ill 
humor, as to weaken, much less to break, the bond 
which thou hast sanetiiied, and cannot be dissolved 
but by death. 

May I always be faithful and persevere under the 
difficulties and duties of my state, doing and suffering 
whatever comes to my lot with such true submission 
to thy will, that, both in peace and trouble, in easy 
and uneasy ways, I may remember to make the best 
use of what is, God. thy pleasure or permission, 
and in all extremes still labor to work out my salva- 
tion. 

FOR WIDOWS. 

OGOD, the Disposer of all things, who hast been 
pleased to bring me into this state, give me 
grace to bear all the troubles of it with patience, to 
make use of all the advantages of it with Christian 
prudence, to be a widow indeed, to despise all world- 
ly comforts, to put my whole trust in thee, and to 
improve the opportunity offered for securing to my- 
self a happy eternity. 

Teach me, God, to make the best use of the 
liberty thou hast given me. and as long as I shall 
abide here in this pilgrimage, give me. grace to em- 
ploy my time in such exercises of piety, charity, and 
solid devotion as may engage thy mercy to me. and 
be most effectual for coming to the possession of that 
happiness which I desire. 

May I ever despise the vanities of the world, and 
make some recompense for my past sins, follies, and 
extravagances ; may I now spend as many hours in 



PRAYERS. 



147 



prayers and good works as I have misspent in vanity, 
idleness, or dangerous entertainments ; ma}' I en- 
deavor by charity to make amends for all that I have 
sinfully, idly, or prodigally misspent, and thus re- 
cover whatever prejudice my soul has suffered through 
my fault ; may I ever study to improve my present 
circumstances, in order to eternal life ; may my loss 
be my advantage ; and under thy protection, O God, 
may I find greater comforts than what the world 
affords. Assist me, O my God, and let thy grace 
support me under all my weakness. 

OF CHILDREN FOR THEIR PARENTS. 

O HEAVENLY FATHER, who commandest us 
to obey, love, respect, and honor our parents, 
grant that I may always comply with this command, 
be always faithful in the performance of all it enjoins, 
and never do anything contrary thereunto. 

May I ever deny myself in all lawful things to 
please my parents, and obey them in all the}' can 
justly require or expect from me ; let me never con- 
tradict them, or dispute against their proposals, as to 
make them uneasy ; may I always consult with them 
in what belongs to them and' me ; may 1 never heark- 
en to those who suggest the undervaluing or neglect- 
ing my parents' advice ; may I never grieve them by 
following ill counsel, ill company, or any evil ways ; 
may I always study to be their comfort, and so make 
some recompense for all their care, trouble, and love 
they have had for me ; may I never show any impa- 
tience at their infirmities, much less mock at any 
weakness to which they are subject. 

Direct me, O God, in every thing belonging to ray 
duty, and let no change of circumstances draw me 
from it ; may I in no lawful thing whatever offend 
my parents on earth, nor displease thee, my Father 
who art in heaven. 



148 



PRAYERS 



FOR OXE's CONFESSOR. 

IN asking of thee, O my God, the graces of which 
I am in need, can I. without ingratitude, forget 
before thee him whom thou hast chosen from among 
thy ministers to reconcile me to thee by the sacra- 
ment of penance, justly called the second plank after 
shipwreck? Deign. I beseech thee. O my God. to 
adorn his sonl with the virtues befitting the functions 
of the awful ministry with which you have invested 
him. Grant him the faith of St. Peter, and the char- 
ity of St. Paul, the firmness of St. Ghiysostora, the 
evangelic liberty of St. Ambrose, the lights of St. 
Augustine, the piety of St. Bernard, the zeal of St. 
Charles Boromeo. the mildness of St. Francis de 
Sales, and the humility of St. Vincent de Paul. 
Guide him thyself. Lord, in all his actions, that, 
after having been here below a prudent and faithful 
dispenser of thy mysteries, he may hereafter receive 
from thv bountiful hands the BRIGHT CROWN tlloU 
hast promised in a blessed eternity to the priests who 
shall have consecrated their lives to bring back their 
fellow-creatures from the ways of error, and conduct 
them in the paths of justice and peace. Ameu. 

TO OUR PATRON OF BAPTISM. 

GLOEIOUS St. X.. whose name I have the honor 
to bear, who wast given me in baptism as a 
protector and a pattern, and who. although secure 
of thy own immortal bliss, art nevertheless solicitous 
about my happiness, assist me by thy powerful inter- 
cession, as thou instructest me by the example of thy 
holy life : for I truly can behold in thy life, as in a 
bright mirror, what I am to correct in myself, and 
what I am to practise. Thou hast been, like me, 
subject to sufferings, encompassed with infiiTiiities, 



PRAYERS . 



149 



assaulted with temptations ; but thou hast surmounted 
the rage and persecutions of the world, despised its 
allurements, and triumphed over its malignity. Ob- 
tain by thy prayers that I may be endowed with thy 
spirit, and become a faithful follower of Christ. On 
the day in which I was buried together with Christ by 
baptism unto death, thou wast given me for a witness 
and a guardian of my engagements. I beseech thee, 
therefore, that thou assist me in thy prayers for me 
to God, that I may hold fast the confession of my 
hope without wavering, and that, laboring to make 
sure by good works my vocation and election, I may 
obtain the prize of the celestial vocation of God, in 
Christ Jesus. Amen. 

FOR A WIFE PREVIOUS TO THE BIRTH OF A CHILD. 

O LORD God Almighty, Creator of heaven and 
earth, wdio hast made us all out of nothing, and 
redeemed us by the precious blood of thy only Son, 
look down upon thy poor handmaid here prostrate 
before thee, humbly imploring thy mercy, and beg- 
ging thy blessing for herself and her child. Pre- 
serve, I beseech thee, the work of thy hands, and 
defend me from all perils and all evils ; bring my 
child safe to the fount of baptism, that it may be 
there happily dedicated to thee, to love and serve thee 
faithfully forever. But, O my God, I have too much 
reason to fear lest my great and manifold sins should 
hinder thee from hearing my prayers, and draw down 
thy judgments upon me and mine, instead of the 
mercies which I sue for ; and therefore I am sensible 
the first thing I ought to do is, to repent from the 
bottom of my heart for all my offences, humbry con- 
fess them, and continually cry to thee for mercy, I 
detest, then, all my sins with my whole heart, and 
desire them to be effaced forever ; I renounce and 



150 



PRAYERS. 



abhor them with my whole soul, because they are in- 
finitely odious to thee ; I humbly beg thy pardon, and 
I wish with all my heart that I had never committed 
them ; I here offer myself to make what satisfaction 
I am able for them. O Lord, give me that contrite 
and humble heart which thou wilt never despise. In 
this disposition of soul, and with a lively confidence 
in thy mercies and in the merits of the death and 
passion of Jesus Christ, thy Son, I renew my peti- 
tion, and once more beg of thee, for myself, thy 
grace and protection, and for my child, that thou 
wonkiest be pleased to preserve it for baptism, sanc- 
tify it for thyself, and make it thine forever, through 
the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen. 

FOR A WIFE AFTER BECOMING A MOTHER. 

OMY God, how can I find words to express to 
thee my thanks, my fervent and heartfelt grat- 
itude, for the singular favor of my safe and happy 
delivery? The severe anguish 1 felt is now past ; and 
thanks be to thee, O God. my child is alive and well, 
and a citizen of the world. O. may it speedily be- 
come a co-heir with Christ by the reception of holy 
baptism. I will take this dear child in my arms, and 
offer it to thee, O God. I can find no words to pray 
to thee ; I can only remain speechless and dissolved 
in tears. But, O bountiful Father, thou understandest 
well the language of tears ; they are tears of the 
most heartfelt gratitude, joy, and profound adora- 
tion. O Lord, give me grace to fulfil all the duties 
of a mother with scrupulous exactness. Let me have 
the holy dispositions of Sarah, Eebecca, and Rachel, 
in the Old Testament, and those of Mary, thy 
most blessed Mother, of Anne, and Elizabeth, in 
the New. Amen. 



PRAYERS. 



151 



FOR RENEWING PROMISES MADE IX BAPTISM. 

I AM a Christian ; I am therefore in the number of 
thy children, my God, a disciple of Jesus' s 
Church, and a member of the Church, thy spouse. 
I was born in sin, subject to thy wrath ; but. out of 
thy infinite goodness, thou hast permitted me to be 
born again in water and the Holy Ghost, and to be 
regenerated with Jesus Christ in baptism. Thou 
hast given me the new life of grace, hope, and the 
efficacious means of obtaining eternal glory ; thou 
hast received me into thy favor. I return thee thanks 
for it, O my God, esteeming baptism and the quality 
of a Christian more than all the honors and advan- 
tages that can be known or possessed upon earth. 

Alas ! I have not lived as such a glorious quality 
required. O my Father, if I dare presume to call 
thee so, I have sinned against heaven, and against 
thee, and am not any more worthy to be called thy 
child. O Lord, forget the ignorances and sins of 
my youth. O, how much I am grieved for having 
offended thee ! O, how much I desire to love thee, 
to serve thee, and to be thankful and acceptable to 
thee, during the whole course of my life ! I ought 
to have always done so hitherto. O my God, I begin 
too late to do it, but I begin sincerely and from my 
heart, and I will continue to do so by the assistance 
of thy grace. 

Therefore I ratify in thy presence and renew the 
promises made for me, and the engagements which my 
sponsors contracted in my name at my baptism. 

I renounce the devil ; I abandon forever his party, 
and submit nryself in every thing to the sweet law of 
Jesus. I renounce the pomps of the devil — that is. 
the maxims and vanities of the world. Xevermore 
shall I reckon those happy who possess riches and 
honors, and feed themselves with the pleasures and 



152 



PRAYERS. 



joys of the world : and. however poor I may be, I 

shall always esteem myself rich, if I shall fear thee, 
my God. for forsaking all sin and doing good, as I 
ought. I renounce all the works of the devil — all 
lying, of which he is the father: pride, hatred, envy, 
and every other sin. detesting them altogether. I beg 
of thee thy necessary grace nevermore to offend thee. 

I believe, O Lord ; increase my faith. I firmly 
believe all the articles which the Holy Catholic Church 
believes and teaches, in the communion of which I 
will live and die. I most firmly resolve to observe 
all the commandments of thy holy law. I love thee, 
and I will love thee, with all my heart, with all my 
soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. I 
love, and will love, my neighbor as myself, for the 
love of thee. Watch over me, O my God : never 
permit me to fail in the promises I have made to 
thee ; and give me thy holy grace to observe them. 
This I beg of thee for the sake of Jesus Christ, thy 
Son, and my Redeemer. 

ON OUR BIRTHDAY. 

I LOOK up to thee and adore thee. my God. 
On this day. years ago. thou didst give me 

life and being. I became a human being, the image 
and likeness of thee, and I feel happy in the grateful 
remembrance of this blessing. By the holy sacra- 
ment of baptism was I soon consecrated to thee, and 
received the happy privilege of becoming thy child. 

How many joys didst thou bestow on my youth. O 
God ! and often when I was going astray thou didst 
sweetly call me back. And when I had the misfortune 
to offend thee, my most loving Father, by sin. thou 
didst raise me up again by the consoling words of 
my spiritual guide. By such tender ways hast thou 
led me from my birth till this hour. I adore in 



PRAYERS. 



153 



astonishment the dispositions of thy providence. This 
memorable day shall be to me especially a day of 
benediction, on which I will commend my life and my 
happiness anew to thee. With confidence I cry to 
thee : forsake me not in my advanced years : forsake 
me not. poor, frail, and weak mortal as I am. How 
much longer I shall yet continue upon earth I know 
not : but with humble hope I wholly abandon myself to 
thee. I shall have nothing to fear from the prospect 
of eternity, if I lead a pious and holy life during the 
days of my pilgrimage. I will consecrate this my 
birthday by approaching to the holy altar of my divine 
Redeemer, with worthy preparation and" a spiritual 
recollection, and full of adoration, faith, and love, to 
receive his precious body and blood. Thus again 
united with thee. Jesus. I will implore of thee 
strength and blessing for the time to come, that I may 
bring my labors here on earth to a happy termination, 
and one day receive the reward of them on high. O 
my Lord. say. I beseech thee, with love and tender 
mercy. " So be it done unto thee." Amen. 



FOR THOSE WHO CARRY AN AGNUS DEI. 

OMY Lord Jesus Christ, the true Lamb that 
takest away the sins of the world, by thy mercy, 
which is infinite, pardon my iniquities : and by thy 
sacred passion preserve me this day from all sin and 
evil. I carry about me this holy Agnus Dei in thy 
honor, as a preservative against my own weakness, 
and as an incentive to the practice of meekness, 
humility, and innocence, which thou hast taught. I 
offer myself up to thee as an entire oblation, and in 
memory of that sacrifice of love which thou orferedst 
for me on the cross, and in satisfaction for my sins. 
Accept. O my God. the oblation I make, and ma)- it 
be agreeable to thee in the odor of sweetness. Amen. 



154: 



PR AVERS. 



FOR THE POPE. 

O JESUS, invisible Head of that Church which 
thou hast built upon a rock, and against which 
thou hast promised that the gates of hell shall never 
prevail, preserve, strengthen, and guide him whom 
thou hast appointed its visible head. Grant that he 
may- be the model as well as the pastor of thy flock. 
May he be the first in holiness, as well as dignity. 
May he be the worthy vicar of thy charity, as well as 
of thy authority. Inspire him with an ardent desire 
for thy glory and for the salvation of souls : and give 
him faithful and zealous cooperators, who. by their 
example and words, will move and convert sinners, 
confirm the just, and lead them through the dangers 
of this life to the mansions of eternal bliss. Amen, 
amen. 



PRAYERS FOR THE CHURCH, 



FOR THE RULING POWERS, ETC. 



WE pray thee, O almighty and eternal God, who, 
through Jesus Christ, hast revealed thy glory 
to all nations, to preserve the works of thy mercy, 
that thy Church, being spread through the whole 
world, may continue, with unchanging faith, in the 
confession of thy name. 

AVepray thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow 
with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity 
of life, our chief bishop. X. X., the vicar of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church ; 
our own archbishop X. X.. (or, if he is not conse- 
crated, our bishop elect ;) all other bishops, prelates, 
and pastors of the church ; and especially those who 
are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions 
of the holy ministry, and conduct thy people into the 
ways of salvation. 

AVe pray thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice, 
through whom authority is rightly administered, laws 
are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist, with thy 
holy spirit of counsel and fortitude, the President of 
these United States : that his administration may be 
conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful 
to thy people, over whom lie presides, by encouraging 
due respect for virtue and religion, by a faithful 
execution of the laws in justice and mercy, and by 
restraining vice and inmiorality. Let the light of 

155 



156 



PRATERS FOR THE CHURCH, ETC. 



thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, 
and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed 
for our rule and government : so that they may tend 
to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national 
happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and 
useful knowledge, and may perpetuate to us the bless- 
ings of equal liberty. 

AVe pray for his Excellency, the governor of this 
state, for the members of assembly, for all judges, 
magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to 
guard our political welfare : that they may be enabled, 
by thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of 
their respective stations with honesty and ability. 

We recommend likewise to thy unbounded mercy 
all our brethren and fellow-citizens throughout the 
United States, that they may be blessed in the 
knowledge, and sanctified in the observance, of thy 
most holy law ; that they may be preserved in union, 
and in that peace which the world cannot give : and, 
after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted 
to those which are eternal. 

Finally, we pray thee. O Lord of mercy, to remem- 
ber the souls of thy servants departed, who are gone 
before us. with the sign of faith, and repose in the 
sleep of peace : the souls of our parents, relations, 
and friends : of those who. when living, were mem- 
bers of this congregation : and particularly of such 
as are lately deceased : of all benefactors, who. by 
their donations or legacies to this church, witnessed 
their zeal for the decency of divine worship, and 
proved their claim to our grateful and charitable 
remembrance. To these. O Lord, and to all that 
rest in Christ, grant, we beseech thee, a place of 
refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the 
same Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 



BRIEF EXPOSITION 

OF THE 3IOST HOLY 



SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 



THIS ultimate Sacrifice, and the only one now to 
be offered, is that clean oblation offered every- 
where on the altar, as foretold by the prophet Mal- 
aehy. (viii. 11.) and is called the most holy Sacrifice 
of the Mass, or an oblation and consecration of bread 
and wine into the bod}' and blood of Jesus Christ, 
then truly and really present, true God and true Alan, 
under the veils or appearances only of the said bread 
and wine, and is a commemorative representation 
of his passion and death for us. and a standing me- 
morial thereof. Jesus Christ himself instituted and 
ordained it. at his last supper, the night before his 
passion and death on the cross. Whilst they were at 
supper. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and blessed 
and broke it. and gave to his disciples, saying. Take 
ye and eat ; this is my body, which is given for you." 
In like manner the chalice also : after he had supped, 
giving Thanks, he gave it to them, saying. 14 Drink ye 
all of this : for this is my blood of the New Testa- 
ment, which shall be shed for many unto remission of 
sins." (Matt. xxvi. 27. 28 ; Mark xiv. 22. 24 : Luke 
xxii. 19. 20.) And Jesus commanded that the same 
should be done forever after, saying to his disciples, 
4 * Do this for a commemoration or remembrance of 
me." (Luke xxii. 19.) Whereby he invested them 
and them successors, bishops and priests, who are the 

157 



158 



SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 



ministers of his Church, and dispensers of his sacra- 
ments and grace, with power to do the same ; as if 
he had said, w% To me is given all power in heaven 
and earth," (Matt, xxviii. 18 ;) b - And as the Father 
hath sent me. 1 also send you," (John xx. 21.) Do, 
then, this which I have just now done. Take ye 
bread, bless and consecrate it to be truly the sub- 
stance of my body ; and in like manner take ye the 
chalice, bless and consecrate wine to be truly the sub- 
stance of my blood ; offer them in sacrifice ; nourish 
your souls with this food, for my tlesh is meat in- 
deed, and my blood is drink indeed — not in figure 
only, but truly, really, and substantially, (John vi. 
5G ;) and distribute this food to my faithful ones, 
who shall believe in me ; and behold, I am with you 
all days, even to the consummation of the world, 
(Matt, xxviii. 20.) — not only to the end of that par- 
ticular age in which his disciples were to continue, 
but to the end of the gospel age. and the consumma- 
tion of all ages. " And therefore there are made 
many priests, because, by reason of death, they are 
not suffered to continue." (Heb. vii.) It is therefore 
plain that, by the institution of this sacrifice and sac- 
rament, our blessed Lord intended that it should be 
the perpetual sacrifice (Dan. viii.) and sacrament, to 
be offered and received in his true Church until his 
second coming to judgment ; because, as St. Paul 
tells, by this sacrifice and sacrament the death of 
Christ is to be represented and commemorated till he 
comes. " As often as you eat this bread and drink 
the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord 
until he come." (1 Cor. xi. 26.) tk But this, (Jesus 
Christ,) for that he continueth forever, hath an ever- 
lasting priesthood." (Heb. vii.) Our Lord Jesus 
Christ is therefore a Priest forever, and hath no suc- 
cessor ; but he liveth and concurreth forever with his 
ministers, the priests of the Xew Testament, in all 



SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 



159 



their functions, and is, in this particular, himself both 
Priest and Victim. "Wherefore the priests consecrate 
the bread and wine, not by then own words and 
power, but by the words and power of Jesus Christ, 
who. at his last supper, worked this marvellous change 
of the substance of bread into his body, and the sub- 
stance of wine into his blood, which change is there- 
fore called by the Church transubstantiation ; and he 
continues to do the same by his priests in the most 
holy sacrifice of the Mass. 

Though these truths are obscure and incompre- 
hensible to human reason and understanding, shall 
we therefore be scandalized, and go back? or shall 
we say, 64 This saying is hard, and who can hear it?" 
or. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 
(John vi.) "Xo: for we believe that Christ is the 
Son of the living God." (ver. 70.) - that he hath the 
words of eternal life, and that he is the truth." (John 
xv..) who hath said, "This is my body, this is my 
blood," (Matt, xxvi.,) and "Do you this." (Luke 
xxii.) "With man, indeed, this is impossible; but 
with God all things are possible," (Matt. xix. 26.) 

This Sacrifice and Sacrament is called a mystery 
of faith, not only because it is to be believed with a 
steady faith, but, moreover, because by faith we 
perceive Christ's body and blood hidden under the 
species, forms, or appearances of bread and wine ; 
though it is chiefly said of Christ's blood hidden 
under the species of wine, because of the difficulty to 
human reason, when faith offers to us to believe that 
the Son of God, both God and Man. suffered death 
for us, which death is indeed signified in the sacra- 
ment of the blood. Wherefore fitly in this place, 
rather than in the consecration of the body, is the 
passion of the Lord commemorated in these words : 
6 ' Which shall be shed for the remission of sins." 
(Cat. Con. Trid. Fid. P. iL, Sac. Euch. lxix.) 



160 



SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 



The Sacrifice which our Lord Jesus made of him- 
self on the cross, and that which is offered of him in 
the Mass, is one and the same as to the substance or 
victim offered, and diners only in the manner of offer- 
ing ; the former being bloody by the actual shedding 
of his blood, the latter unbloody and mystical. Upon 
Calvary, he, by the shedding of his blood, merited for 
us the remission of sins, the grace of reconciliation 
and justice with God his eternal Father ; in a word, 
4t he obtained for us eternal redemption," (Heb. ix. 
12.) Upon the altar, "He is the same Priest and 
Victim ; the High Priest, who is seated on the right 
hand, &c, continueth forever, and hath an everlast- 
ing priesthood, according to the order of Melchise- 
dech ; always living to make intercession for us." 
(Heb. viii. 1, vii. 21, 25.) And he placed the same 
body that was immolated on the cross, and the same 
blood that was there shed, in a state under the veils 
of bread and wine, so as to be truly, and really, and 
substantially present, thereby to apply effectually 
unto us his merits, and to communicate actually to us 
all the graces he merited for us on the cross, and 
also to serve for the food and nourishment of our 
souls. 

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is, moreover, a 
lively representation of the sacrifice on the cross, in- 
asmuch as the bloody separation that was made on 
the cross of the body and blood of Jesus Christ is per- 
fectly represented by the mystical separation which 
is made on the altar of that same body and blood. 
For by the words of the consecration, viz., " This is 
my body," the bread is changed into his body ; and 
by these words, 4 'This is the chalice of my blood 
(thus understood, £ This is 1113' blood which is con- 
tained in the chalice') of the new and eternal testa- 
ment, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for 
you, and for many, for the remission of sins," — the 



SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 



161 



wine is changed into his blood. And. notwithstand- 
ing this body and this blood were once really sepa- 
rated from each other in his passion, and reunited at 
his resurrection, never more to be separated, yet his 
will was. that the real separation made on the cross 
should be lively represented on the altar by the sepa- 
rate consecration of the bread and wine into his body 
and blood, as said above, and that thus the sacrifice 
of the Mass should be a continued image and repre- 
sentation of that on the cross, even to the consumma- 
tion of the world, and in every place. 

Again : the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is truly a 
commemorative representation of our blessed Sav- 
iour's sufferings for us. and is most proper to remind 
us of them, and to move and raise in us affections 
suitable to the remembrance and consideration of 
them. "Do this for a commemoration of me." — that 
is. to bring into your minds and to renew the re- 
membrance of all those grievous pains which I have 
endured for your sakes. to procure for you a remission 
of sins, and a reconciliation to God. my eternal 
Father; and - as often. &c, you shall show the 
death." &e. This was the particular thing our Lord 
gave in charge, when he was going to lay down his 
life for us. to undergo the most grievous pains and 
sufferings for our sakes. and to yield up himself to 
the worst of temporal deaths, that he might deliver 
us from the bitter pains of eternal death. Can we. 
then, without the most horrible ingratitude, neglect 
this dying charge of the greatest Friend and Lover 
of our souls ? What a strong impression ought not 
this charge, and the remembrance of his passion and 
death for our salvation, to make upon our minds, 
especially if we add those other words of his not long 
before his death — "Greater love than this hath no 
man. that a man lay down his life for his friends" ! 
Yet he did it for us. who were his enemies. The 
11 



162 



SACRIFICE OF THE MASS. 



consideration of this ought to raise in us sentiments 
of the highest gratitude, love, and piety, particularly 
as often as we assist at this holy sacrifice, or receive 
the holy communion. We ought to remember what 
he hath done for us. to look upon Him whom we have 
pierced, and to resolve to grieve and wound him no 
more by sin : to which purpose so solemn a repre- 
sentation is very conducive, because therein we be- 
hold by faith, and in mental effigy, Christ crucified, 
his body broken, his blood poured out for us. This, 
in some measure, places us in the condition of thoce 
who were eye-witnesses of Christ's sufferings, and 
beheld him dying upon the cross for us ; and. as his 
glorious body is sitting in heaven, at the right hand 
of God the Father, invisible to our corporeal eye, 
until he come again at the last day, " the time when 
this continual sacrifice shall be taken away." (Dan. 
xii.,) — to recompense this, and that we should not 
forget him, and be wholly estranged from him. he 
was pleased to ordain this mysterious sacrifice, in 
which he is truly and really present with us, for the 
above purpose of a continual sacrifice, or supreme 
act of worship, and for the food and nourishment of 
our souls, of which singular blessing and token of 
his love to us we should never be unmindful, but 
bless, glorify, and praise him. until the end of the 
world, and forever. 

Finally, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is that 
august sacrifice of the Christian religion which only 
the true Church of Christ possesses and glories in ; 
and it is the most excellent, the most pleasing, and 
the most acceptable sacrifice and worship we can orl'er 
and pay to God. Sacrifices, and oblations, and 
holocausts, for sin thou wouldest not. neither are 
they pleasing to thee which are offered according to 
the law. Then said I, Behold. I come to do thy will, 
God." (Fleb. x.) 



BEIEF 



EXPLANATION OF THE VESTMENTS, ETC. 



WITH regard to tlie vestments, in which the 
priest says Mass, we are to understand, that, 
as the Mass represents the passion of Christ, and the 
priest there officiates in his person, so these vest- 
ments in which he is habited, represent those with 
which Christ was ignominiously clothed at the time 
of his passion. Thus the Amict represents the band- 
age with which the Jews blindfolded our Saviour, 
when at every blow they bade him prophesy who it 
was that struck him. (St. Luke xxii. 64.) The Alb 
represents the white garment with which he was vested 
by Herod ; the Girdle, Maniple, and Stole represent 
the cords and bands with which he was bound in the 
different stages of his passion. The Chasuble, or 
outward vestment, represents the purple garment 
with which he was clothed as a mock king, upon the 
back of which there is a cross, to represent that 
which Christ bore on his sacred Shoulders. 

These sacred vestments likewise represent the vir- 
tues which God requires in those who wear them ; 
thus the Amict, which is first put upon the head, and 
is then spread over the shoulders, represents divine 
hope, which the apostle calls the "helmet of sal- 
vation ; " the Alb, innocence of life ; the Girdle, 
purity and chastity; the Maniple, which is put upon 
the left arm. patient suffering of the labors of this 
mortal life ; the Stole, the sweet yoke of Christ, to be 
borne in this life in order to a happy immortality ; in 
fine, the Chasuble, or outward vestment, which covers 
all the rest, the virtue of charitv. 

163 



164 EXPLANATION OF THE VESTMENTS, ETC. 



COLOR OF VESTMENTS. 

The colors of the vestments vary according to the 
festivals we celebrate. White, on all feasts of our 
Lord, of confessors, and virgins, to signify their spot- 
less innocence ; Bed. on the festival of the Holy 
Ghost, who. in the form of fiery tongues, descended 
on the apostles, and on the festivals of the apostles 
and martyrs, because they shed their blood for re- 
ligion : Purple or Violet, in times of mourning, viz.. 
Lent. Advent. &c. ; Green, for all Sundays on which 
the proper ottice is said : and Black, in Masses for 
the dead, and on Good Friday, when we commemo- 
rate the death of our Saviour. Thus, from the color 
of the vestments, we may at once see the nature of 
the festival which is celebrated. 

ALTAR. 

We make a reverence to the Altar upon which 
Mass is said, because it is the seat of these divine 
mysteries, and a figure of Christ, who is not only our 
Priest and sacrifice, but our altar too. inasmuch as 
we offer our prayers and sacrifices through him. 

CRUCIFIX. 

Upon the altar we always have a Crucifix, that, as 
the Mass is said in remembrance of Christ's passion 
and death, both priest and people may have before 
their eyes, during this Sacrifice, the image that puts 
them in mind of his passion and death. 

CAXDLES. 

The candles lighted upon the Altar, during Mass. 
are to honor the victory and triumph of Jesus Christ 
which is there celebrated, as tokens of our joy and 



EXPLANATION OF THE VESTMENTS, ETC. 165 



his glory, and to denote the light of faith, with which 
we are to appear before him. 

BELL. 

A little bell is sounded at intervals during Mass. 
to direct the attention of the faithful to certain events 
in this great sacrifice, as well as to warn those who 
are not in a situation to see the priest, of the par- 
ticular parts of the passion that are celebrating. 

HOLY WATER. 

It is customary, before Mass. to sprinkle the con- 
gregation with holy water, or. on entering the church, 
each individual may sprinkle himself from a vessel 
which contains the water. This ceremony is to re- 
mind us of the necessity of entering with purity of 
heart, having washed away the iniquities and dis- 
tractions of the world. In the court, before many of 
the ancient churches, there was a fountain, in which 
the persons about to attend washed their hands or 
feet, to denote the purity of heart they should possess, 
It is an emblematic ceremony, calculated to excite 
our devotion, and fix our attention. The water is 
blessed, as. according to St. Paul, every creature may 
be sanctified by the word of God. and by prayer. 
(1 Tim. iv. 5.) The manner of blessing it is by 
first blessing salt, which, in iim'tation of the prophet 
Eliseus. when he healed the waters of Jericho, is cast 
into the water, in the figure of a cross, in the name 
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
The proper prayer having been said over the water, 
the priest then entreats the mercy and protection of 
God upon those who shall sprinkle themselves or 
their houses therewith, that they may be guarded 
against the incursions of the evil spirits, and enabled 
to serve God. 



DEVOTIONS FOR 31 ASS. 



THE ASPEEGES. 



While the priest sprinkles holy -water before Solemn Mass 
on Sundays, the following anthem is sung: 



Ant. 

ASPERGES me, Do- 
mine, hyssopo, et 
mundabor: lavabis me, 
et super nivem dealba- 
bor. 

Ps. Miserere mei, De- 
ns, secundum magnam 
misericordiam tuam. 

T" Gloria patri, etc. 



Ant. 
etc. 



Asperges me, 



Anth. 

Thou shalt sprinkle 
me with hyssop. Lord, 
and I shall be cleansed: 
thou shalt wash me. and 
I shall be made whiter 
than snow. 

Ps. Have mercy on 
me. O God, according 
to thy great mercy. 

V. Glory be to the 
Father, &c. 

Anth. Thou shalt 
sprinkle me, &c. 



The priest, having returned to the foot of the altar, says, 

V. Ostende nobis, Do- T" Show us, O Lord, 
mine, misericordiam tu- thy mercy, 
am. 

P. Et salutare. tuum P. And grant us thy 
da nobis. salvation. 

166 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



167 



- V. Domine. exaucli V. O Lord, hear my 

orationem meam. prayer. 

R. Et clamor mens R. And let my cry 

ad te veniat. come unto thee. 

V. Dopainus vobis- V. May the Lord be 

cum. with you. 

i?. Et cum spiritu R. And with thy 

tuo. spirit. 

THE PR AYE H EX AUDI. 

HEAR its. O holy Lord, almighty Father, eter- 
nal God. and vouchsafe to send thy holy 
angel from heaven to guard, cherish, protect, 
visit, and defend all that are assembled in this 
place, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

From Easter to Pentecost-Sunday inclusively, instead of 
the foregoing Ant. Asperges, &c, the following is sung, and 
Alleluia is added to the V. Ostende nobis, and its R. Et 
salutare. 

ANTHEM. 

VIDI aquam egredi- I saw water flowing 
entem de templo a from the right side of 
latere dextro. Alleluia ; the temple. Alleluia ; 
et omnes, ad quos per- and all to whom that 
venit aqua ista. salvi water came were saved, 
facti sunt et dieent, and they shall say Alle- 
Alleluia. Alleluia. luia. Alleluia. 

Ps. ConfiteminiDomi- Rs. Praise the Lord, 
no. quoniam bonus : quo- because he is good ; be- 
niam in saeculum mise- cause his mercy en- 
ricordia ejus. Gloria, clureth forever. Glory, 
etc. &c. 

The prayer Exaudi, as above. 



168 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



A PRAYER BEFORE MASS. 

I OFFER thee, O my God, the Mass which I 
am about to hear, to render thee the honor 
and glory which are due to thy infinite majesty ; 
to thank thee for thy innumerable benefits, for 
all the graces thou hast bestowed on all man- 
kind, particularly for those thou hast conferred 
on thy blessed Mother, my good angel, holy 
patrons and patronesses, and on all the angels 
and saints ; to satisfy thy justice for my sins, 
and for the sins of the whole world, and to 
obtain from thy infinite mercy all the graces 
which are necessary for myself and all man- 
kind. 

I offer it for the propagation of our holy faith ; 
for our most holy father the pope ; for our 
archbishop, (or bishop :) for all the pastors and 
clergy of thy holy Church ; for all superiors ; 
for the spiritual and temporal prosperity of 
ecclesiastical seminaries and religious orders. 
Grant that all may be faithful to their holy 
rules and vows, and persevere in their fidelity 
until death. . 

I entreat thee also, in behalf of the President, 
and all that are in high station, that all may lead 
quiet and holy lives ; for peace and good will 
among all the states and people. I also suppli- 
cate thee in behalf of infidels, heretics, schis- 
matics, and of all those who are in the unhappy 
state of mortal sin, begging thee to grant them 
a speedy conversion. 

I likewise offer this Sacrifice for our dear 
parents, relations, friends, benefactors, and ene- 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



169 



mies ; for the perseverance of the just, the com- 
fort of the afflicted, and the deliverance of the 
suffering souls in purgatory, especially of those 
for whom I am bound to pray. I unite with 
the priest in offering it in memory of the passion 
and death of my divine Redeemer ; to enter 
into his views and designs ; to accomplish his 
most holy will ; to love him with more ardor 
and perfection ; to participate in the merits of 
his labors and sufferings ; to acquire his spirit ; 
to imitate his virtues ; to model my life on his ; 
and to make a public reparation to his adorable 
mercy, for all the sacrilegious communions, 
irreverences, and profanations which may have 
been committed against him in this august 
sacrament of his love. 



AXOTHER PRAYER BEFORE MASS. 

OF AT HER of mercies and God of all conso- 
lation, who, not content that thy only-begot- 
ten Son should have once been offered, a bleeding 
victim upon the cross for our salvation, wouldst 
have the same most acceptable oblation daily 
repeated in an unbloody manner, to renew in 
our souls the fruit thereof ; grant, we beseech 
thee, that we may assist at this adorable mystery 
of thy power, wisdom, and goodness, with such 
reverence, attention, and love, that we may 
plentifully partake of the fruits it is intended 
to produce in us, through the same Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



170 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF MASS. 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 

IT is in thy name, adorable Trinity! 
it is to honor thee, and to do thee 
homage, that I presume to assist at 
this most holy and august sacrifice. 
Permit me then, Lord, to unite my 
intention with that of thy minister, 
in offering up this precious victim ; 
and give me now the sentiments with 
which I should have been filled on 
Mount Calvary, had I been witness to 
the bloody sacrifice offered thereon. 

CONEITEOR. 

Think, now, in the bitterness of your heart, on all your 
past sins, and recall to your mind, in a general manner, such 
of them as are most humbling to you. Lay your weaknesses 
before God. Beg of him to pardon you, and to assist you in 
all your necessities, through the infinite merits of this great 
sacrifice. 

T CONFESS, my God, not only in 
-L thy presence, who seest the secrets 
of hearts, but in the presence of all 
the blessed in heaven, and of all the 
faithful on earth, that I have often 
and grievously offended thee, by my 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



171 



thoughts, words, actions, and omis- 
sions. Yes, I have sinned, my God, 
I have sinned; I acknowledge it to 
my shame, and with the most bitter 
regret. I have abused all thy gifts. 
I am unworthy to appear before thee. 
But thy mercies, my God, are above 
all thy works; thou wilt not despise 
a contrite and humble heart. 

most holy Virgin, and ye angels 
and saints of heaven, I humbly beseech 
you to intercede for me. Vouchsafe, 
Lord, to listen to their prayers. 
Grant to the ardor of their supplica- 
tions what thou in ay est justly refuse 
to the coldness of mine, and to their 
services so pleasing in thy sight, that 
pardon to which my offences can have 
no claim. 

KYRIE ELEISON". 

Beg of the Lord to show you mercy, and rely with confi- 
dence on his infinite goodness. By granting you so powerful 
a means of reconciliation as this is, he gives you a sure 
pledge that you will obtain it. 

rpHOUGH I were at every instant of 
JL my life to cry out, Lord, have mercy 
on me ! this would still be unequal to 



172 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



the number and quality of my offences. 
But though, after long repeating this 
prayer, thou shouldest appear to dis- 
regard me, I would still redouble my 
importunity, and cry out, with a louder 
and more animated voice, as the woman 
of Canaan and the blind man of Jericho 
did, " Jesus, son of David, have mercy 
on me ! " Be not then tired, Lord, 
of my supplications. I know that 
thou lovest to be importuned. If, as 
yet, thy goodness hath not granted my 
pardon, my perseverance shall at length 
engage thee to grant it. Have pity, 
bountiful Creator, on the work of thy 
hands. Father of mercies, grant 
pardon to thy children. 



GLORIA IK EXCELSIS. 

Conceive a great desire of promoting God's glory and 
your neighbor's good. Rejoice with the angels at the share 
you have in the holy mysteries, and form to yourself the 
highest idea of the majesty of God, and of Jesus Christ his 
Son. 

GLORIA in excelsis Glory be to God on 
Deo. Et in terra high, and peace on earth 
pax hominibus bonss to men of good will, 
voluntatis. Laudamus We praise thee. We 



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173 



te. Benedicimus te. 
Adoramus te. Glori- 
ficamus te. Gratias agi- 
mus tibi propter mag- 
nam gioriam tuam. Do- 
mine Deus, Rex coeles- 
tis ! Deus Pater omnipo- 
tens! Domine, Fili uni- 
genite, Jesu Christe ! 
Domine Deus! Agnus 
Dei! FiliusPatris! Qui 
tollis peccata mundi ! 
miserere nobis. Qui 
tollis peccata mundi ! 
suscipe deprecationem 
nostrain. Qui sedes ad 
dexter am Patris ! mis- 
erere nobis. Quoniam 
tu solus sanctus. Tu 
solus Dominus. Tu 
solus altissimus, Jesu 
Christe ! Cum Sancto 
Spiritu in gloria Dei 
Patris. Amen. 



bless thee. We adore 
thee. We glorifj^ thee. 
We give thee thanks 
for thy great glory. O 
Lord God ! O heaven- 
ly King! O God the 
Father almighty ! O 
Lord Jesus Christ, the 
only-begotten Son ! O 
Lord God! Lamb of 
God ! Son of the Fa- 
ther ! O thou, who 
takest away the sins 
of the world ! have 
mercy on us. O thou, 
who takest away the 
sins of the world ! re- 
ceive our prayer. O 
thou, who sittest at 
the right hand of the 
Father ! have mercy 
on us. For thou alone 
art holy. Thou alone 
art Lord. Thou alone 
art most high, O Jesus 
Christ ! together w r ith 
the Holy Ghost, in the 
glory of God the Fa- 
ther. Amen. 



174 



DEVOTIONS FOB MASS. 



THE COLLECT. 

This prayer is so called, because, in it, the priest lavs 
before God the necessities of his people, their vows, and 
their desires, collected, in a manner, together. Whence, 
he says. Oremus. (Let us pray.) inviting them to unite with 
him in the petition he is about to make. 

ALMIGHTY and eternal God. we hum- 
bly beseech thee to look down upon 
this congregation from thy heavenly 
sanctuary, and graciously hear those 
prayers of thy Church addressed to thee 
for us all by the ministry of this priest. 

Grant us, in thy infinite mercy, par- 
don for our sins, health of mind and 
body, peace in our days, unity and 
increase of Catholic faith, fervor of 
charity, sincere devotion, patience in 
suffering, and every thing conducive 
to thy glory, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE. 

Return God thanks for having called you to the knowledge 
of his law. Submit to it witli perfect docility, and beg of him 
to extend our holy religion over the whole world. 

OETERXAL GOD. who never ceasest 
to excite us to the worship and love 
of thy holy name, and to arm us against 



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175 



all the attacks of the world, the flesh, 
and the devil, by the public ministry 
of thv Church, by the doctrine of thy 
prophets and apostles, and by many 
other holy admonitions; grant we may 
faithfully attend to these lessons of 
salvation, that thus our knowledge of 
thy law may never rise in judgment 
against us, but guide us securely to 
thee, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THE GOSPFX. 

Look on the gospel, which you are now going to hear, 
as the rule of your faith and morals — a rule which Christ 
himself has drawn up. which, at your baptism, you solemnly 
promised to follow, and by which you shall most certainly be 
judged. 

IT is not thy interpreters, God, who 
are now to instruct me ; it is thy 
only Son ; it is his word I am going to 
hear. I most gratefully embrace this 
heavenly doctrine. I rise up and 
declare, in the face of heaven and 
earth, that I will walk faithfully in 
that way which he hath marked out 
for me. He tells me here that it will 
avail a man nothing; to sain the whole 
world, if he lose his own soul ; that 



176 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



the sensual, the covetous, the world- 
ling, the libertine, the detractor, and 
such as are insensible to the miseries 
of the poor, shall have no share in his 
heavenly kingdom ; and that, in order 
to become his disciple, I must take up 
my cross, and follow him. I receive, 
with all my heart, these sacred max- 
ims. Grant me the grace to put them 
in practice. For to what purpose, 
my Jesus, should I declare myself thy 
disciple, if I were not to live accord- 
ing to thy gospel ? 

THE CREED. 

Renew here your faith. All these things which the Church 
proposes to your belief are founded on God's own word, 
revealed in the Scriptures, announced by the prophets and 
the apostles, supported by miracles, confirmed by the martyrs, 
verified by the establishment of our faith, and obvious by the 
sanctity of our religion. 



CREDO in mium De- 
um, Patrem Om- 
nipotentem, Factorera 
eceli et terrse, visibilium 
omnium, et invisibili- 
um. Et in unum Domi- 
num Jesum Christum 
Filium Dei unigeni- 
tum, et ex Patre natum 
ante omnia specula : 



I believe in one God, 
the Father Almighty, 
Maker of heaven and 
earth, of all things visi- 
ble and invisible. And 
in one Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only-begot- 
ten Son of God, and 
born of the Father be- 
fore all aires : God of 

o J 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



177 



Deum de Deo : lumen 
cle lumine : Deum ve- 
rum de Deo vero ; geni- 
tum, non factum : eon- 
substantialein. Patri, 
per quern omnia facta 
sunt : qui propter nos 
homines, et propter 
nostram salutem, de- 
scendit de coelis, et in- 
carnatus est de Spi- 
ritu Sancto ex Maria 
Virgine, ET HOMO 
F ACTUS EST: cru- 
cifixus etiam pro no- 
bis, sub Pontio Pilato 
passus, et sepultus est : 
et resurrexit tertia die, 
secundum Scripturas. 
et ascendit in coelum, 
sedet ad dexteram Pa- 
tris : et iterum venturus 
est cum gloria jitdicare 
vivos et mortuos : cu- 
jus regni non erit fi- 
nis. Et in Spirit um 
Sanctum, Dominum et 
Vivificantem, qui ex 
Patre Filioque pro- 
cedit ; qui cum Patre 
et Filio simul adora- 
tur et conglorificatur ; 
qui locutus est per 
prophetas. Et Unam 

12 



God ; light of light ; 
true God of true God; 
begotten, not made ; 
consubstantial to the 
Father, by whom all 
things ay ere made ; who 
for us men. and for our 
salvation, came down 
from heaven, and be- 
came incarnate by the 
Holy Ghost of the Vir- 
gin Mary, AXD WAS 
MADE MAX: he was 
crucified also for us, 
suffered under Pontius 
Pilate, and was buried: 
and the third day he 
rose again, according 
to the Scriptures, and 
ascended into heaven, 
sitteth at the right hand 
of the Father : and he 
is to come again with 
glory to judge both the 
living and the dead ; of 
whose kingdom there 
shall be no end. And 
in the Holy Ghost, the 
Lord and Giver of life, 
who proceedeth from 
the Father and the Son ; 
who. together with the 
Father and the Son. is 
adored and glorified ; 



178 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



Sanctam Catliolicam et 
Apostolicam Ecclesiam. 
Confiteor urmm bap- 
tisma in remissionem 
peccatorum. Et ex- 
pecto resurrectionem 
mortuorum, et vitam 
venturi sseculi. Amen. 



who spoke by the 
prophets. And One 
Holy Catholic and 
Apostolic Church. I 
confess one baptism for 
the remission of sins. 
And I expect the resur- 
rection of the dead, and 
the life of the world to 
come. Amen. 



THE OFFERTORY. 

Consider what an advantage it is to have, in this great 
sacrifice, wherewith to honor God perfectly, to thank him in a 
manner equal to his gifts, to blot out entirely your past sins, 
and to obtain, both for yourself and others, all the graces you 
stand in need of. 

OHOLY Father, almighty and eternal 
God, how unworthy soever I be to 
appear in thy presence, I dare to offer 
thee this host by the hands of the 
priest, with that intention which Christ 
my Saviour had when he first insti- 
tuted this sacrifice, and which he has 
at this very instant that he immolates 
himself for us. I offer it in acknowl- 
edgment of thy supreme dominion 
over me and all creatures. I offer it 
in expiation of my crimes, and in 
thanksgiving for all thy benefits. I 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



179 



offer it to obtain of thy infinite good- 
ness, for my parents, benefactors, 
friends, and enemies, all those precious 
graces which only through Him can 
be obtained who is the Just One by 
excellence, and who became a Victim 
for the sins of men. 

Accept, then, Lord, this ineffable 
sacrifice as a sweet odor, and permit 
me to unite to this sacred oblation the 
sacrifice of my soul and body, and 
whatever I am or have. Change me, 
Lord, and make me a new creature 
in Christ, as thou art going to change 
this bread and wine by thy power, to 
make them the body and blood of thy 
Son. 

THE WASHING OF THE EINGERS. 



*J heart should we not brine with us 
to this great sacrifice! But alas! I am 
a poor, unclean sinner. 0, wash me, 
dear Lord, from all the stains of sin, 
in the blood of the Lamb, that I may 
be worthy to be present at these 
heavenly mysteries. 




and purity of 



180 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



WHEX THE PRIEST SAYS, ORATE FRATRES. 

RECEIVE, Lord, from the bands of 
the priest, the sacrifice which is now 
prepared for the praise and the glory 
of thy name, for our benefit, and that 
of all thy holy Church. Graciously 
hear the prayers which she now offers 
to thee by the mouth of her minister, 
and mercifully grant us all the graces 
which thou knowest to be necessary 
for our salvation. 

THE PREFACE. 

Raise your thoughts to heaven, to the very throne of the 
Divinity ; and there, with most holy and respectful awe, pay 
homage to his glorious majesty, mingling your praises with 
those sacred hymns which the heavenly spirits are ever sing- 
ing to him. 

DO thou thyself, Lord, raise up my 
heart; inflame it with love; free it 
from earthly affections ; let me be all 
in heaven, where my treasure is, and 
on the altar, where he is going to be. 
My life, Lord, is a continued succes- 
sion of thy favors. 0, let my thanks- 
givings be also uninterrupted ; and 
since thou art going to renew the great- 
est of sacrifices, should I not also break 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



181 



forth into the most lively acknowledg- 
ments ? Permit me, then, Lord, to 
join my feeble voice with all the 
heavenly spirits, and to say with them, 
in transports of joy and admiration, 
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of 
armies! The heavens and the earth 
are filled with his glory ! Blessed is 
he who cometh in the name of the 
Lord, eternal King and God, as he who 
sends him ! 

THE CANON. 

Represent here to yourself the Altar as a throne of mercy, 
upon which Christ is to sit, where you are entitled to present 
yourself, to expose to him your wants, to ask for blessings, 
and to obtain them. Can He who giveth us his only Son 
refuse us anything? 

FATHER of mercy, graciously re- 
ceive, by the hands of the priest, 
this most holy sacrifice in union with 
that which thy beloved Son offered up to 
thee during his whole life, at his last 
supper, and on the cross. Look down 
on thy Christ, thy dearest and only- 
begotten, in whom thou art always 
well pleased, and by the infinite merits 
of his incarnation, of his nativity, of 



182 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



his tears, labors, sufferings, and death, 
have mercy upon me, and upon all 
those for whom I ought to pray, [here 
name the particular persons,] — my 
parents, brethren, friends, benefactors, 
relations, and those who have injured 
me, or whom I have injured. I also 
beseech thee to guard, prosper, and 
extend the holy Catholic Church ; to 
pour down thy blessing upon our chief 
pastor, the pope, upon the bishops, 
and all the clergy ; enlighten and 
guide them in the way of salvation. 
Bless and preserve our rulers and all 
our fellow-citizens. Look upon us all, 
I beseech thee, with eyes of mercy and 
compassion. Bring us all to the per- 
fect practice of a holy and virtuous 
life here, and to the possession of thy 
eternal glory hereafter. May we all 
know thee ; may we fear, love, and 
glorify thee, through the same Jesus 
Christ, who, with thee and the Holy 
Ghost, liveth and reign eth, one God, 
world without end. Amen. 

Why have I not, God, at this 
moment, the ardent sighs with which 



DEVOTIONS FOR 31 ASS. 



183 



the holy patriarchs wished for the 
Messiah ? Why have I not their faith 
and all their love? Come, Lord Jesus ! 
come, sweet Redeemer of the world ! 
to accomplish a mystery which is an 
abridgment of all thy wonders ! 

Thou art, indeed, the true Pastor of 
souls, who didst lav down thy life for 
thy flock. Thou art the Lamb of God, 
that died upon the cross to save us. 
I prostrate myself in spirit before thee, 
and desire to praise and bless thee 
forever. 

THE ELEVATION. 

Behold your God, your Saviour, and your Judge; remain 
for a while in silent astonishment at what passes before you ; 
call up all your fervor, and all those sentiments which fear, 
respect, and confidence can inspire. 

HAIL, Victim of salvation ! Eternal 
King ! Incarnate Word, sacrificed 
for me and all mankind! Hail, precious 
body of the Son of God ! Hail, sacred 
flesh, torn with nails, pierced with a 
lance, and bleeding on a cross, for us 
poor sinners! amazing goodness! 
infinite love ! 0, let that tender love 
plead now in my behalf! let all my 



184 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



iniquities be here effaced, and my 
name be written in the book of life ! 
I believe in thee ; I hope in thee ; I 
love thee. To thee be honor, praise, 
and glory from all creatures forever. 

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE. 

HAIL, sacred blood, flowing from the 
wounds of Jesus Christ, and wash- 
ing away the sins of the world ! 0, 
cleanse, sanctify, and preserve my soul, 
that nothing may separate me from thee. 
Behold, eternal Father, thy holy 
Jesus, and look upon the face of thy 
Christ, in whom thou art well pleased. 
Hear the voice of his blood, that cries 
out to thee, not for vengeance, but for 
pardon and mercy. Accept this divine 
oblation, and, through the infinite 
merits of all that Jesus endured on the 
cross for our salvation, be pleased to 
look upon us, and upon all thy people, 
with an eye of mercy. 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



185 



THE CANON CONTINUED. 

Contemplate, in the most affectionate manner, your Saviour 
here present. Reflect on the mysteries he here renews ; unite 
the sacrifice of your heart to that of his body ; offer him to 
God his Father, with the several intentions with which the 
sacrifice should be offered, beseeching the Father of mercy to 
accept the prayers which his dear Son addresses to him in 
your behalf. 

IT is now, eternal majesty, that we 
truly and really offer thee that pure, 
holy, and immaculate Victim, which, 
of thyself, thou hast been pleased to 
grant us, and of which all other offer- 
ings were only the types. The sacri- 
fices of Abel, of Abraham, and Mel- 
chisedech were nothing compared to 
ours. This glorious Victim, thy dear 
Son himself, the perfect object of thy 
eternal love, is alone worthy of thy 
altar, and an offering bv so much the 
more precious than theirs as God is 
greater than all creatures. 

OFFER THE MASS AS A SACRIFICE OF 
ADORATION. 

A SOVEREIGN LORD of all things, 
graciously accept my humble hom- 
age, in union with that which thou here 



186 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



receivest from Christ, thy beloved Son, 
in whom thou art well pleased. With 
him, I offer thee his own holy sacrifice, 
for the end he proposes, while he im- 
molates himself upon this altar. He 
alone knows the boundless excellence 
of thy unspeakable majesty. He alone 
fully comprehends the entire extent of 
thy dominion. He beholds thee as 
thou art, and how all creatures, visible 
and invisible, depend on thee. He 
clearly conceives that thy right is abso- 
lute over all we are, and all we possess, 
or can hope for, in this life and in 
eternitv. It is to acknowledge this 
supreme dominion, and to make, in 
his name, a public profession of our 
total dependence upon thee, that he 
renews every day, and that we renew 
with him, this most holy sacrifice. 

OFFER IT AS A SACRIFICE OF THANKSGIVING. 

T70UCHSAFE also, dearest Lord, to 
V receive this precious Victim in 
thanksgiving for all thy benefits. Thou 
hast created me to thy own likeness ; 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



187 



and without thee I must fall back into 
my original nothing. For my sake thy 
beloved Son gave himself up to the 
cruelty of the Jews, and to an igno- 
minious death ; nor doth a moment of 
my existence pass away without new 
proofs of thy bounty. I wish, Lord, 
I could, even at the price of my blood, 
acknowledge, in some degree, these 
numberless favors. But the offering I 
here make thee is far more acceptable; 
it is thy own Son, equal in all things 
to thee — the figure of thy substance, 
the splendor of thy glory. 

AS A SACRIFICE OF EXPIATION. 

REMEMBER, merciful Father, that 
the sacrifice we are now offering; to 
thee is a representation of that which 
was offered by our Saviour on the 
cross. May it be now r again a pro- 
pitiatory sacrifice. Pardon us our in- 
gratitude. Our transgressions, it is 
true, are grievous and manifold ; but 
then, Lord, it is the blood of a God 
we offer in atonement. 



188 



DEVOTIONS FOR 31 AS S . 



AS A SACRIFICE OF IMPETRATIOX. 

OGOD, who art infinitely bountiful, be 
pleased now to crown all thy favors 
by the gift of a lively faith, of a firm 
hope, of an ardent charity. Bless all 
my labors ; give me clearly to know 
thy holy will, and steadily to execute 
it ; grant me to persevere in thy grace 
to the end of my life. Have mercy 
on the souls of the faithful departed, 
and particularly on those whom I am 
bound to pray for. [Name them.] De- 
liver them, Lord, from their suffer- 
ings, through the powerful merits of 
thy Son. 

PATER XOSTER. 

Here we are with Jesus on a new Calvary. Let us remain 
at the foot of his cross, with the tender compassion of the 
blessed Virgin, with the ardent love of St. John: or. stand- 
ing afar off with Magdalen, let us weep bitterly over our 
offences. With sentiments like these, let us recite the Lord's 
Prayer with the priest, 

PATER noster. qui Otr Father, who 

es in coelis. sancti- art in heaven, hallowed 

ficetur nomen tuum : be thy name : thy king- 

adveniat regimm tuum ; dom come ; thy will be 

fiat voluntas tua sicut in done on earth as it is in 

coelo et in terra. Panem heaven. Give us this 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



189 



nostrum quotidianuni day our daily bread : 

da nobis ho die : et di- and forgive us our tres- 

mitte nobis debita nos- passes, as we forgive 

tra, sieut et nos dimitti- them that trespass 

mus debitoribus nostris. against us. And lead 

Et ne nos inducas in us not into temptation, 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a R. But deliver us 

malo. from evil. 

P. Amen. P. Amen. 

DELIVER us, we beseech, thee, Lord, 
from all evils, past, present, and 
to come ; and, by the intercession of the 
blessed and ever Virgin Mary. Mother 
of God, and of the holy apostles Peter, 
Paul, and Andrew, and of all the 
saints, mercifully grant peace in our 
days, that, through the assistance of 
thy mercy, we may be always free from 
sin, and secure from all disturbance, 
through the same Jesus Christ, our 
Lord, who, with thee, liveth and reign- 
eth in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
world without end. Amen. 



190 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



THE AGXUS DEI. 

God, so glorious in heaven, so powerful on earth, so 
dreadful in hell, is here only a Lamb, full of sweetness and 
bounty. He comes here to take away the sins of the world, 
and your sins in particular. What a motive of confidence ! 
What a subject of consolation ! 

OLAMB of God, sacrificed for my 
sake, have mercy on me. adorable 
Victim of my salvation, look down on 
me, and save me. Divine Mediator, 
obtain pardon of thy Father for me, a 
sinner, and mercifully grant me the 
sweets of thy peace. Amen. 

THE COMMUNION. 

To communicate spiritually, renew, by an act of faith, 
your firm belief of Christ's real presence. Make an act of 
contrition. Desire most earnestly to receive him with the 
priest. Beg of him to accept these desires, and to unite him- 
self to you in the effusion of his graces. 

WHAT a comfort to me, my God, 
were I in the number of those 
whose sanctity allows them to receive 
thee daily ! What an advantage, could 
I, at this instant, possess thee in my 
heart, there pay thee my homage, lay 
open to thee my wants, and share in 
the favors which thougrantest to those 
who receive thee really ! But since I 




Imp Bej-Zsukj ?4i-t. Dauphine* Part-- 



DEYOTIOXS FOR MASS . 



191 



am unworthy, do thou, Lord, supply 
my want of dispositions ; pardon me 
my sins ; I detest them from my heart, 
because they are displeasing to thee. 
Accept my ardent wish to be united to 
thee; cast thine eye upon me, and 
purify my soul, that I may soon be fit 
to receive thee worthily. But until the 
arrival of this happy day, I earnestly 
entreat thee, dearest Lord, that thou 
vrouldest make me a sharer in all the 
advantages which the communion of 
the priest shall produce in these thy 
people. Increase my faith by the 
virtue of this sacrament, strengthen 
my hope, fill my heart with love, that 
it beat but for thee, and live for thee 
alone. Amen. 

THE LAST PRATER. 

Strive earnestly to offer your Lord sacrifice for sacrifice, 
by becoming the victim of his love. Immolate freely to him 
all sinful inclinations, and whatever is contrary to his holy 
will. 

npHOU hast offered thyself, Lord, for 
JL my salvation ; I desire to be sacri- 
ficed for thy glory. I am thy victim ; 



192 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



do with me as thou wiliest. Whatever 
I have, I consecrate entirely to thee. 
Those crosses which thou shalt please 
to send me I most freely accept. I 
bless them ; I receive them from thy 
hand, and unite them with those thou 
hast endured for my sake. I am now 
about to leave thy temple, resolved, 
w ith thy help, to serve thee faithfully. 
I will struggle against my failings, but 
chiefly against that to which I am most 
inclined. Thy law shall henceforth 
direct me, and I shall forfeit all, and 
sutler everything, rather than mortally 
transgress it. 

THE BENEDICTION. 

Receive this blessing from the priest, as being given you in 
the name of the Lord. Thank him sincerely for the favors 
here granted you; lay up with care the fruits of this sacrifice, 
and let your conduct be such, that all who see you may clearly 
perceive how much you have profited by so holy an action. 

MOST holy and adorable Trinity, by 
thee we have begun this sacrifice, 
by thee we desire to conclude it ; we 
therefore shall not leave thee until 
thou bless us. Give us, Lord, thy 
blessing by the hands of this priest; 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS. 



193 



may it ever remain with us; may it 
influence our actions, and be the sure 
pledge of that last benediction which 
thy elect will receive when called by 
thee into eternal glory. 

THE LAST GOSPEL. 

DIVINE Word, only Son of the Fa- 
ther, Light of the world, who earnest 
from heaven to show us the way to it, 
I adore thy majesty with the most 
profound respect. I place my whole 
confidence in thee. I hope most 
firmly, that, as thou art my God, — a 
God made man to save mankind, — 
thou wilt grant me those graces my 
sanctification requires, and also the 
enjoyment of thee in thy glory. 

A PRAYER AFTER MASS. 

T EAKNESTLY thank thee, my 
-L God, for having permitted me to 
assist at the celebration of this holy 
sacrifice, in preference to so many 
others who have not been thus favored. 
I humbly entreat thee to pardon me 

13 



194 



DEVOTIONS FOR MASS . 



the faults which I have committed 
during it, either by my inattention or 
my neglect. Grant that I remember, 
through the course of the day, what 
thou hast here done for me. Grant 
that no thought, word, or action of 
mine deprive me of the graces, of 
which, through thy infinite mercy, I 
have been partaker. 



PRAYERS AT MASS 

FOR THE DAY OF HOLY COMMUNION. 



Assist at the Mass at which you are to receive the blessed 
Eucharist as you would have assisted at the last supper, when 
Jesus Christ instituted that adorable sacrament. " With de- 
sire I have desired to eat this pasch with you," said our divine 
Saviour to his apostles. The same desire animates him to give 
himself to you, if your heart be well prepared to receive him. 
Reanimate, then, your fervor during the Holy Sacrifice. 



vv and Earth is coming to dwell in my heart. O 
thought full of joy and consolation ! But how must 
I prepare it for him? My God. do thou thyself pre- 
pare it, for without thee I can do nothing. 



I COME. O Lord, to ask for the life and nourish- 
ment of my soul. Why should I be moyed with 
fear at the sight of thy tabernacle ? It is thy infinite 
mercy and boundless love which call me to this ban- 
quet of love. Strengthen my faith, purify my heart, 
pity my weakness ; grant me the grace to assist wor- 
thily at these tremendous mysteries. I will approach 
the holy mountain to receive my Lord and my God, 
to receive thee who hast died for my salvation. God 
of goodness, thou art going to feed me with the bread 



BEFORE MASS. 




mine ! the God of Heaven 



AT THE BEGINNING- OF MASS. 



195 



196 



PRAYERS AT MASS 



of angels. Give me, in thy mercy, one spark of that 
fervor which animates those blessed spirits who reign 
with thee in Heaven, and who are forever proclaim- 
ing thy glory. 

AT THE CONFITEOR. 

I AM not worthy, O Lord, to appear in thy holy 
presence ; I am ungrateful ; I have sinned against 
Heaven and before thee ; I am not worthy to be called 
thy child. I have wandered far away from thee. I 
have abused thy graces. How, then, can I presume 
to approach thy holy table? blessed Virgin, im- 
maculate Mother of God ; St. John the Baptist, who 
prepared the way of the Lord : faithful disciples, who 
followed him ; blessed souls, who served him here be- 
low and now possess him in Heaven : pray for me, 
ask pardon for me. He will hear you ; and, justified 
by the graces your powerful intercession will have 
obtained for me, I may venture to approach the table 
of the Lord. 

AT THE INTROIT. 

THE Lord has opened the gates of Heaven ; He 
has rained manna on the desert ; he has given 
us the bread of angels. 

Thy goodness, O my God, has prepared a banquet 
for the poor and for the humble of heart ; be forever 
blessed. Give me true humility ; thou alone canst 
work this miracle in my favor, and grant that I may 
forever praise thee with gratitude and love. 

AT THE KYRIE ELEISON". 

THE days of redemption shine for me in all their 
brightness. I can invoke thy name, O God of 
majesty, I can call thee my Saviour and the Spouse 



FOE, THE DAY OF HOLY COMMUNION. 



197 



of my sonl. Thou art ready to heap thy favors upon 
me. I will approach thee in the language of thy holy 
church : Lord, have mercy on us ! Christ, have 
merc}^ on us ! Lord, have mercy on us ! 

AT THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 

GLORY be to God, whose justice is appeased by 
the perpetual sacrifice of an infinite Victim ; 
peace on Earth to men of good- will, whom God so 
loves that he daily annihilates himself to feed them 
with his own most precious body and blood. I praise 
thee, O Lord, I bless thee, I adore thee ; the miracles 
of th}^ love fill me with amazement and rapture. 
Shall I not return thee love for love ? Shall I still 
refuse that peace which surpasseth all understanding ? 
No, dear Redeemer, have mercy on me, and grant me 
thy peace and thy love. 

AT THE COLLECTS. 

OLORD, may I love thee above all things. I 
ask this favor through the intercession of thy 
immaculate Mother, Mary, of all the saints, and in 
particular of those whose feast the Church this day 
celebrates. Grant me, I beseech thee, the disposition 
to receive worthily the adorable Body and Blood of 
thy divine Son. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE. 

BRETHREN, I have received of the Lord that 
which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord 
Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took 
bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said : Take ye 
and eat ; this is my body, which shall be delivered 
for you ; this do for the commemoration of me. In 
like manner also the chalice, after he had supped, 



198 



PRAYERS AT MASS 



saying : This chalice is the new testament in my 
blood ; this do ye as often as you shall drink, for the 
commemoration of me. For as often as you shall 
eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall show 
the death of the Lord until he come. Therefore, 
whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice 
of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body 
and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove 
himself ; and so let him eat of that bread and drink 
of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh un- 
worthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, 
not discerning the body of the Lord." — 1 Cor. xi. 



THE eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord, and thou 
givest them meat in due season. Thou openest 
thy hand, and fillest with blessing eveiy living crea- 
ture. (Ps. cxliv.) Give me the blessing, O Lord, and 
prepare my heart for that divine food which I am 
about to receive, for thy flesh is meat indeed, and thy 
blood is drink indeed. From this da}' do thou, my dear 
Eedeemer, remain always with me, and may I never 
be guilty of any offence that would separate me ironi 
thee. 



I ^ for that which endureth unto life everlasting, 
which the Son of Man will give you. For him hath 
God the Father sealed. They said therefore unto 
him. What shall we do that we may work the works 
of God ? Jesus answered and said to them, This is 
the work of God, that you believe in him whom he 
hath sent. They said therefore to him, What sign 
therefore dost thou show, that we may see, and ma}' 
believe thee ? What dost thou work ? Our fathers 



23-28. 



AT THE GRADUAL. 



THE GOSPEL. 



JOHN VI. 27-35. 




FOR THE DAY OF HOLY COMMUNION. 199 



did eat manna in the desert, as it is written. He gave 
them bread from Heaven to eat. Then Jesns said to 
them. Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses gave you not 
bread from Heaven, but my Father givcth you the 
true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is 
that which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life 
to the world. They said therefore unto him : Lord, 
give us always this bread. And Jesus said unto them, 
I am the bread of life ; he that cometh to me shall 
not hunger, and he that believeth in me shall never 
tliirst." 

AT THE CREED. 

ITHAXK thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, for 
the precious gift of true faith ; strengthen it daily 
more and more ; I believe all that thy holy and infal- 
lible Church proposes to my belief. I believe thou 
art really present in the adorable sacrifice of the 
Mass, and that thou renewest on this altar, in an 
unbloody manner, the sacrifice of the cross, on which 
thou didst offer thyself a bleeding victim to thy Fa- 
ther for my sins and the sins of all men. Thou art 
here a hidden God, concealed under the outward 
forms of bread and wine, but thou art manifest to 
the eyes of faith, and the pure and humble of heart 
are attracted by thy presence, whilst thou art forgot- 
ten and abandoned by many tepid Christians, as thou 
wert by the Jews of old. Thou art going to be im- 
molated on this new Calvary, and faithful souls are 
soon to receive thy most precious body and blood, 
with thy soul and divinity. O Lord, make me worthy 
to be numbered among them. I envy not those who 
had the happiness of beholding thee during thy mor- 
tal life : faith reveals to me here my Eedeemer. my 
Lord, and my God. the true Messiah, whom the pa- 
triarchs and prophets so ardently longed to see. 



200 



PRAYERS AT MASS 



AT THE OEFERTORT. 

OMOST bountiful God ! I offer thee my heart. 
Deign to bless and sanctify it ; renew therein 
thy image, which has so often been disfigured by sin. 
May I become by thy grace worthy to possess thee 
on Earth, and to reign eternally with thee in Heaven. 

AT THE LAY ABO AND SECRETS. 

OGOD, infinitely great and infinitely holy, fill my 
soul with the salutary effusions of thy grace. 
I am going to approach thy sacred table : to partake 
of that bread of life which should only be received 
by thy faithful children : to partake of that celestial 
manna which thou hast prepared for those who con- 
quer the world and triumph over sin. O. what puri- 
ty, what humility, what charity is necessary for me ! 
How shall I dare to receive thee, the God of all sanc- 
tity? Remove, O Lord, every trace of sin from my 
soul, forgive my iniquities, and grant that I may never 
again offend thee. Amen. 

AT THE PREFACE. 

OMY soul, raise up thy thoughts to heaven, and 
give thanks to the Lord thy God. I desire. 
heavenly Father, to glorify thee, to thank thee at all 
times and in all places, as my God. my Benefactor ! 
The Angels and Powers of Heaven, the Cherubim 
and Seraphim, celebrate thy glory and chant thy im- 
mortal praise. Draw my heart to thee. Omnipotent 
God ; make me. at least for a time, forget this land 
of exile, and unite my feeble voice to the canticles 
of thy celestial choirs, and cry out with them in trans- 
ports of jo}' and admiration : 

Holy. holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth, Heaven 



FOR THE DAY OF HOLY COMMUNION. 201 



and Earth are full of thy glory ! Hosannah in the 
highest ! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of 
the Lord ! Hosannah in the highest ! 

AT THE CANON. 

GOD of mercy, hear nry prayers, bless tlry holy 
Church, to which I belong by baptism, and 
which opens to me her richest treasures by giving me 
this day her adorable Spouse : bless her chief pastor 
(N.), her bishops, and priests. Grant to all whom 
thou hast called to the ministry the spirit of zeal and 
piety, preserve them in the purity of faith, and make 
me always docile to their holy teachings. Look with 
an eye of mercy on all the faithful, particularly on 
those who assist at this holy sacrifice ; support the 
weak, console the poor and the afflicted, convert sin- 
ners, enlighten the blind, and bring back the impen- 
itent to the ways of virtue. I pray for all, because 
thou, O Lord, art the God of all, and thou offerest 
thyself for all, and wiliest that we should all be ani- 
mated by the same Holy Spirit. 

O my soul, behold thy King ! Behold he comes to 
thee full of sweetness and tenderness ! He veils the 
splendor of his majest3 T , that thou mayest approach 
him with more confidence. O, wonderful condescen- 
sion ! O, miracle of love, which God alone can per- 
form ! 

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST. 

O JESUS, bread of the strong, which gives to 
man a blessed immortality, I adore thee. Do 
thou be the life and nourishment of my soul. O heart 
of Jesus ! I beseech thee to fill my heart with divine 
love. 



202 



PRAYERS AT MASS 



AT THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE. 

O PRECIOUS blood of my Redeemer ! shed for 
my salvation, I adore thee. In thee is all my 
hope : heal and purify me. Cleanse me from every 
stain of sin, and apply to me thy infinite merits. 
Sanctify my soul, preserve it without spot, and be 
thou the sacred pledge of my eternal happiness. 

CONTINUATION OF THE CANON. 

THE heavens are opened, the Holy of Holies has 
descended upon earth ; this altar is now the 
throne whereon resides the majesty of the Most High. 
The angels surround him, and, by their homage, ado- 
ration, and love, repair the forgetf illness, the indiffer- 
ence, and the contempt of men. And thou, O Lord, 
w r hilst these sublime spirits annihilate themselves in 
prostrate adoration at thy feet, thou askest my heart. 

my Lord Jesus, make it entirely thine. Thou hast 
said, I am come to cast fire on the Earth, and what 
do I desire but that it be enkindled? May my 
heart, O Lord, respond to the intensity of thy love. 

1 love thee, and I desire to love thee daily more and 
more. Increase this love, so that I may at length be 
able to say with thy apostles : 4 ' Who shall separate 
me from the love of Christ?" — Rom. viiL 35. 

AT THE PATER NOSTER. 

O MY FATHER, who reignest in heaven, come 
and reign in my soul ; come and sanctify it by 
thy presence ; come and subject it to thy holy will, 
and make it docile to the inspirations of thy grace. 
Nourish it this day with thy mysterious bread, and 
satisfy its longing desire. Take absolute possession 
of my whole being, in order that I may do thy will 



FOR THE DAY OF HOLY COMMUNION. 



203 



on Earth as the saints do in Heaven : extinguish in 
me every feeling of hatred and revenge ; give me 
strength and grace to triumph over all my tempta- 
tions, and deliver me from the evils by which I am 
surrounded. Amen. 



LAMB of God, who takest away the sins of the 
world ; pure and spotless victim, who alone 
canst satisfy the justice of an offended God, may I 
have a share in the merits of thy sacrifice. What 
lessons of humility, meekness, charity, and patience 
thou givest me ! Imprint these virtues on my heart, 
that it may be a sanctity prepared for thy reception. 



JL ^1 not pure in thy sight ; and shall my miserable 
heart dare to receive thee? Still, I cannot say to 
thee, 4 ' Depart from me," for without thee I cannot live. 
One only word from thy divine lips will suffice to 
cleanse me: speak it, O Lord: say to my soul, U I 
am tlry salvation," and thou wilt thus prepare me for 
the happiness of receiving thee. Jesus, nry merciful 
Jesus, have mercy on me. Give me a lively faith, a 
firm hope, an ardent charity. O may I love thee for- 
ever ! 

AFTER RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION. 

I HAVE found him whom my soul loveth. I pos- 
sess him, I will never let him go. What have I 
to desire in Heaven, and what can I love on Earth, 
besides thee, my God ! thou who art the God of my 
heart? What shall I render to the Lord for all the 



AT THE AGNUS DEI. 



AT THE DOMINE, NON SUM DIGNUS. 




worthy. The heavens are 



204 



PRATERS AT 31 ASS . 



benefits he has conferred on me ? My beloved to me 
and I to him. " I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth 
in me." — Gal. ii. 20. 

AT THE BLESSING. 

BY the hand of thy minister. Lord, impart to 
me thy most abundant blessings ; may they con- 
firm all the precious graces thou hast conferred upon 
me. 

AT THE LAST GOSPEL. 

OTTOED made of flesh ! humbled and despised 
for my sake, thou art the Life and Light of the 
world : enlighten my heart, and make known to me 
thy greatness. May the most filial confidence, the 
tenderest love, and the deepest gratitude till my soul. 
I can never understand as I ought the happiness I 
enjoy. I have received my Lord and my God. How 
unspeakable the mysteries of this adorable sacrament, 
which unites man to God himself! To acknowledge 
thy great benefits to me. I unite myself to thee. O my 
God. by the ties of love and gratitude : may I never 
be separated from thee. Amen. 



HYMN OF THANKSGIVING. 



TE Denm laudamus : * te Dominium confitemur. 
Te seternum Patrem, * omms terra venerator. 
Tibi omnes angeli : * tibi coeli, et universal pot estates : 
Tibi cherubim et seraphim * iucessabili voce procla- 
mant, 

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus * Dominus Dens Sabaoth ! 

Pleni sunt cceli et terra * majestatis glorise tnae. 

Te gloriosos * apostolorum chorus ; 

Te prophetarum * laudabilis numerus ; 

Te martvrum candidatus * laudat exercitus ; 

Te per orbem terrarum * sancta confitetor Ecclesia. 

Patrem * immensse majestatis ; 

Venerandum tuum verum * et unicorn Filiuru, 

Sanctum quoque * Paraclitum Spiritum. 

Tu Rex glorias * Christe. 

Tu Patris * sempiternus es Filius. 

Tu, ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, * non hor- 

ruisti Virginis utermn. 
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, * aperuisti credentibus 

regna coelorum. 
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes * in gloria Patris. 
Judex crederis * esse venturus. 

Te ergo qusesumus, tuis famulis subveni, * quos pre- 

tioso sanguine redemisti. 
Sterna fac cum Sanctis tuis * in gloria numerari. 
Salvum fac populum tuum, Domme, * et benedic he- 

reditati tuae. 
Et rege eos, et extolle illos * usque in aeternuim 
Per singulos dies, * benedicimus te. 

205 



206 



HYMN OF THANKSGIVING, 



Et laiulamus nomen tuum in soeculum, * et in saeculum 
sseculi. 

Dignare, Domine, die isto * sine peccato nos custodire. 

Miserere nostri Domine, * miserere nostri. 

Fiat misericordia tua, Domini, super nos : * queni- 

admodnm snperavimus in te. 
In te, Domine, speravi : * non confnndar in aeternum. 
V. Benedicamus Patrem, et Filium, cum Sancto 

Spiritu. 

R. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in specula. 



JLS bonitatis infinitus est thesaurus, piissimae ma- 
jestati tme pro collatis donis gratias agimus, tuam 
semper clementiam exorantes ; ut qui petentibus pos- 
tulata concedis, eosdem non deserens, ad praemia 
futura disponas, per Dominum nostrum. Amen. 



WE praise thee, O God ; we acknowledge thee to 
be our Lord. 

All the earth worships thee, the Father everlasting. 
To thee all the angels cry aloud ; the heavens, and all 

the heavenly powers ; 
To thee the cherubim and seraphim continually do cry, 
Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth ! 
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy gloiy. 
The glorious choir of the apostles praise thee ; 
The admirable company of the prophets praise thee ; 
The noble army of the martjTs praise thee. 
The holy Church throughout the world acknowledges 

thee. 

The Father of infinite majesty ; 
Thy adorable, true, and only Son ; 
Also, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. 



OREMUS. 




The same in English. 



HYMN OF THANKSGIVING. 



207 



Thou, O Christ, art the King of glory. 

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. 

When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou 

didst not disdain the Virgin's womb. 
Having overcome the sting of death, thou didst open 

the kingdom of heaven to all believers. 
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory 

of the Father. 
TTe believe that thou shaft come to be our Judge. 
We therefore pray thee to help thy servants, whom 

thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. 
Make them to be numbered with thy saints in glory 

everlasting. 

Save thy people, Lord, and bless thy inheritance. 
Govern them, and raise them up forever. 
Every day we bless thee. 
And we praise thy name forever and ever. 
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day, to keep us without sin. 
Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 
Let thy mercy, Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped 
in thee. 

In thee, O Lord, I have hoped ; let me never be con- 
founded. 

F. Let us bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Ghost. 

R. Let us praise and extol him forever. 

LET US PEAT. 

OGOD, whose mercies are without number, and 
the treasure of whose goodness is infinite, we 
give thee thanks for the blessings thou hast bestowed 
on us ; alwaj^s beseeching thy divine majesty that, as 
thou grant est what we ask, so thou wouldst continue 
thy favors to us in such a manner that by them we 
may be prepared for receiving the rewards of eternal 
happiness, through Christ our Lord. Anien. 



MANNER OF 

SERVING A PRIEST AT MASS. 



The clerk must kneel at his left hand, and answer him as 

follows : 

P. TXTROIBO ad altare Dei. 

-L C. Ad Deum, qui iaetificat juventutem meam. 

P. Judiea me, Deus, et disceme causam meam. de 
gente non sancta : ab homine iuiquo et doloso erne me. 

C. Quia tu. es Deus. fortitudo mea : quare me 
repulisti. et quare tristis iucedo, dum arMigit me in- 
imicus ? 

P. Emitte lucem tuam. et veritatem tuam : ipsa 
me deduxerunt, et adduxerunt in montem sanctum 
tuum et in tabernacula tua. 

C. Et introibo ad altare Dei : ad Demn qui laetifi- 
cat juventutem meam. 

P. Confitcbor tibi in cithara, Deus. Deus mens. 
Quare tristis es. anima mea. et quare eonturbas me? 

C. Spera in Deo. quoniam adhue eontitebor illi ; 
salutare vultus mei. et Deus meus. 

P. Gloria Patri. et Filio. et Spirited Sancto. 

C. Sicut Brat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et 
in saecula sa?culormn. Amen. 

P. Introibo ad altare Dei. 

C. Ad Deum. qui Isetificat juventutem meam. 

P. Adjutorimn nostrum in nomine Domini. 

0. Qui fecit ccelum et terram. 

P. Confiteor Deo, etc. 

0. Misereatur tui Omnipotens Deus. et dimissis 
peccatis tin's, perducat te ad vitam aeternam. 
P. Amen. 

208 



MAXXER OF SERVING A PRIEST AT MASS. 209 



C. Confiteor Deo omnipotent!, beatae Mariae sem- 
per Virgini. beato Michaeli archangelo, beato Joanni 
Baptistae. Sanctis apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus 
Sanctis, et tibi. pater, quia peccavi nimis. cogitatione, 
yerbo. et opere. [Strike your breast, and say.'] Mea 
culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo preeor 
beatam Mariam semper Yirginem. beatum Miehaelem 
archangelum. beatum Joannem Baptistam. sanctos 
apostolos Petrrrm et Paulum, omnes sanctos. et te, 
pater — orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. 

P. Mis ere at in vestri, etc. 

C. Amen. 

P. Indulgentiam, absolutionem. etc. 
C. Amen. 

P. Deus. tu conversus yiyifieabis nos. 

C. Et plebs tua laetabitur in te. 

P. Ostende nobis. Domine. nrisericordiam tuam. 

C. Et salutare tuum da nobis. 

P. Domine. exaudi orationem meam. 

C. Et clamor meus ad te yeniat. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

When the priest goes from the book to the middle of the altar. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

C. Kyrie eleison. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

C. Christ e eleison. 

P. Christ e eleison. 

C. Christe eleison. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

C. Kyrie eleison. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

When the priest says. Flectamus genua, as is the case a few 
times in the Year, answer. Levate, 
14 



210 



MANNER OF SERVING 



At the end of the epistle, say. Deo gratias ; then remove 
the Mass-book to the other end of the altar, and always 
kneel or stand on the side opposite to that on which the book 
has been placed. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 
C. Et cum spirit u tuo. 

P. Sequentia sancti evangelii secundum, etc. 

Making the sign of the cross on your forehead, mouth, and 
breast, say, 

C. Gloria tibi, Domine. 

At the end say, 

C. Laus tibi, Christe. 
P. Dominus vobiscum. 
(7. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

Here the clerk is to give wine and water, and then hand 
the basin, water, and towel, for the priest. The priest hav- 
ing washed his fingers, the clerk returns to his former place, 

and answers, 

P. Orate fratres. 

C. Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium rie manibus tuis 
ad laudem et gloriam nominis sui, ad utilitatem quo- 
que nostram, totiusque ecclesiae suae sauctae. 

P. Per omnia ssecula saeculorum. 

C. Amen. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Sursum corda. 

C. Habemus ad Dominium 

P. Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. 

C. Dignum et justum est. 

At Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, &c., ring the little bell. 

When you see the priest spread his hands over the chalice, 
you must give warning by the bell of the consecration which 
is about to be made : then, holding up the vestment with 
your left hand, and having the bell in your right, you must 
ring during the elevation of the host. As often as you pass 
by the blessed sacrament, you must adore on your knees. 



A PRIEST AT MASS. 



211 



P. Per omnia saecula sseculorum. 
(7. Amen. 

P. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. 
C. Sed libera nos a malo. 
P. Per omnia saecula sseculorum. 
C. Amen. 

P. Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. 
C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

The priest's communion being ended, be ready to give him 
wine and water. If there are communicants, provide a towel, 
and say the Confiteor. After they have received, remove the 
book; take away the towel from the communicants, if there 
are any, and return to your former place. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

C. Amen. 

P. Ite ; missa est ; or, benedicamus Domino. 

C. Deo gratias. 

In Masses for the dead. 

P. Requiescant in pace. 
(7. Amen. 

Remove the book, if it be left open : kneel to receive the 
priest's blessing. 

P. Pater, et Films, et Spiritu Sanctus. 

C. Amen. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Imtium (or, sequentia) sancti evangelii, etc. 

C. Gloria tibi, Domine. 

At the end say, Deo gratias. 

Put out the candles, and lay up all decently and carefully. 



THE EPISTLES AXD GOSPELS, 



FOR 

SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

Epistle. Romans xiii. 11-14. 

AND that knowing the time ; that it is now the 
hour for us to rise from sleep : for now our 
salvation is nearer than when we believed. 

12 The night is passed, and the day is at hand. 
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and 
put on the armor of light. 

13 Let us walk honestly as in the da}^ ; not in 
rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and im- 
purities, not in contention and envy. 

14 But put 3^e on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Gosjiel. St. Luke xxi. 25-33. 

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the 
moon, and in the stars : and upon the earth distress 
of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring 
of the sea and of the waves : 

26 Men withering away for fear and expectation 
of what shall come upon the whole world. For the 
powers of heaven shall be moved : 

27 And then they shall see the Son of man coming 
in a cloud with great power and majesty. 

212 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. 



213 



28 But when these things begin to come to pass, 
look up, and lift up your heads ; because your re- 
demption is at hand. 

29 And he spoke to them a similitude : see the 
fig-tree, and all the trees : 

30 When they now shoot forth their fruit, you 
know that summer is nigh. 

31 So you also, when you shall see these things 
come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at 
hand. 

32 Amen I say to you, this generation shall not 
pass away till all things be fulfilled. 

33 Heaven and earth shall pass slwslj : but my 
words shall not pass away. 



SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

Epistle. Eomans xv. 4-13. 

FOR what things soever were written, were written 
for our instruction : that, through patience and 
the comfort of the Scriptures, we might have hope. 

5 Now, the God of patience and of comfort grant 
you to be of one mind, one towards another, accord- 
ing to Jesus Christ. 

6 That with one mind, and with one mouth, you 
may glorify God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

7 Wherefore receive one another : as Christ also 
hath received you to the honor of God. 

8 For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of 
the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the 
promises made to the fathers. 

9 But that the Gentiles are to glorif} 1 " God for his 
mercy, as it is written : Therefore will T confess to 
thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to 
thy name. 



214 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



10 And again lie saith : Kejoice, ye Gentiles, with 
his people. 

11 .And again: Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; 
and magnify him, all ye people. 

12 And again Isaias saith: There shall he a root 
of Jesse : and he that shall rise up to rule the Gen- 
tiles, in him the Gentiles shall hope. 

13 Now the God of hope fill you with all jo}' and 
peace in believing : that you may abound in hope, 
and in the power of the Holy Ghost. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xi. 2-10. 

2 Now when John had heard in prison the works 
of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said to him : 

3 Art thou he that art to come, or do we look for 
another ? 

4 And Jesus making answer, said to them: Go 
and relate to John what you have heard and seen. 

5 The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are 
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor 
have the gospel preached to them : 

6 And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized 
in me. 

7 And when they went their way, Jesus began to 
say to the multitude, concerning John: What went 
you out into the desert to see ? a reed shaken with 
the wind? 

8 But what went } t ou out to see? a man clothed 
in soft garments? Behold, they that are clothed in 
soft garments are in the houses of kings. 

9 But what went you out to see? a prophet? }'ea, 
I tell you ; and more than a prophet. 

10 For this is he of whom it is written: Behold, 
I send my Angel before thy face, who shall prepare 
thy way before thee. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDATS. 



215 



THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 

Epistle. Proverbs viii. 22-35. 

THE Lord possessed me in the beginning of his 
ways, before he made anj'thing from the be- 
ginning. 

23 I was set up from eternity, and of old before 
the earth was made. 

24 The depths were not as yet, and I was already 
conceived ; neither had the fountains of waters as 
yet sprung out : 

25 The mountains with their huge bulk had not as 
yet been established : before the hills I was brought 
forth : 

26 He had not }^et made the earth, nor the rivers, 
nor the poles of the world. 

27 When he prepared the heavens, I was present ; 
when with a certain law and compass he enclosed the 
depths : 

28 When he established the sky above, and poised 
the fountains of waters : 

29 When he compassed the sea with its bounds, and 
set a law to the waters that they should not pass their 
limits : when he balanced the foundations of the earth : 

30 I was with him forming all things ; and was 
delighted every day, playing before him at all times ; 

31 Playing in the world : and my delights were to 
be with the children of men. 

32 Now therefore, ye children, hear me : Blessed 
are the} 1 " that keep my ways. 

33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not* 

34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that 
watcheth daily at my gates, and w r aiteth at the posts 
of my doors. 

35 He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall 
have salvation from the Lord. 



216 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Gospel. St. Luke i. 26-28. 



26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was 
sent from God into a city of Galilee called Nazareth, 

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name 
was Joseph, of the house of David : and the name of 
the virgin was Mary. 

28 And the angel being come in. said to her : 
Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : Blessed art 
thou among women. 



EJOICE in the Lord always : again, I say, 



5 Let your modest}' be known to all men : the 
Lord is nigh. 

6 Be not solicitous about any thing : but in every 
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 
let your petitions be made known to God. 

7 And the peace of God. which surpasseth all 
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ 
Jesus. 



19 And this is the testimony of John, when the 
Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, 
to ask him : Who art thou ? 

20 And he confessed, and did not deny : and he 
confessed : I am not the C hrist. 

21 And they asked him: What then? Art thou 
Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the 
prophet? And he answered: No. 

22 Then they said to him : TTho art thou, that we 
may give an answer to them that sent us? What 
say est thou of thyself ? 



THIRD SrXDAY OF ADVENT. 



Epistle. Philippians iv. -1-7. 




Gospel. St. John i. 19-28. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDATS. 



217 



23 He said : I am the voice of one crying in the 
wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord, as 
the prophet Isaias said. 

24 And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. 

25 And they asked him, and said to him : Why 
then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor 
Elias, nor the prophet ? 

26 John answered them, saying : I baptize in 
water : but there hath stood one in the midst of you, 
w T hom you know not. 

27 The same is he that shall come after me, who 
is preferred before me ; the latchet of whose shoe I 
am not worthy to loose. 

28 These things were done in Bethania beyond 
the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians iv. 1-5. 

LET a man so look upon us as the ministers of 
Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of 

God. 

2 Here now it is required among the dispensers, 
that a man be found faithful. 

3 But as to me, it is a thing of the least account 
to be judged by you, or by human judgment : but 
neither do I judge n^self. 

4 For I am not conscious to myself of any thing : 
yet in this I am not justified : but he that judgeth me 
is the Lord. 

5 Therefore judge not before the time : until the 
Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden 
things of darkness, and will make manifest the 
counsels of the hearts : and then shall every man 
have praise from God. 



218 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Gospel. St. Luke iii. 1-6. 

1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius 
Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea. and 
Herod being tetrareh of Galilee, and Philip his brother 
being tetrareh of It urea, and the country of Tracheli- 
tis, and Lysanias tetrareh of Abilina, 

2 Under the high-priests Annas and Caiphas : the 
word of the Lord came to John, the son of Zachary, 
in the desert. 

3 And he came into all the country about the 
Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance, for the 
remission of sins, 

4 As it is written in the book of the words of 
Isaias the prophet : A voice of one crying in the 
wilderness : Prepare ye the way of the Lord : make 
his paths straight. 

5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain 
and hill shall be brought low : and the crooked shall 
be made straight, and the rough ways plain. 

6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. 

CHRISTMAS FIRST MASS. 

Epistle. Titus ii. 11-15. 

FOR the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared 
to all men, 

12 Instructing us, that renouncing impiety, and 
worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, 
and piously in this world, 

13 Waiting for the blessed hope, and coming of 
the glory of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ : 

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people 
acceptable, pursuing good works. 

15 These things speak and exhort. 



FOR SUNDAYS AXD HOLYDAYS. 



219 



Gospel. St. Luke ii. 1-14. 

1 And it came to pass that in those days there 
Trent out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the 
whole world should be enrolled. 

2 This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus the 
goyernor of Syria. 

3 And all went to be enrolled, every one into his 
own city. 

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of 
the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, 
which is called Bethlehem ; because he was of the 
house and family of David, 

5 To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, 
who was with child. 

6 And it came to pass, that when they were there, 
her days were accomplished, that she should be 
delivered. 

7 And she brought forth her first-born son, and 
wrapped him up in swaddling-clothes, and laid him 
in a manger : because there was no room for them in 
the inn. 

8 And there were in the same country shepherds 
watching, and keeping the night-watches over their 
flock. 

9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by 
them ; and the brightness of God shone round about 
them : and the}' feared with a great fear. 

10 And the angel said to them : Fear not : for 
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that 
shall be to all the people : 

11 For this day is born to you a Saviour, who is 
Christ the Lord, in the city of David. 

1 2 And this shall be a sign unto you : You shall 
find the infant wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid 
in a manger. 

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a 



220 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and 
saying : 

14 Glory to God in the highest: and on earth 
peace to men of good will. 



B 



CHRISTMAS SECOND MASS. 

Epistle. Titus hi. 4-7. 

UT when the goodness and kindness of our 
Saviour God appeared : 

5 Not by the works of justice, which we have 
done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the 
laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy 
Ghost. 

6 AVhom he hath poured forth upon us abundantly, 
through Jesus Christ our Saviour : 

7 That being justified by his grace, we may be 
heirs according to the hope of life everlasting. 

Gospel. St. Luke ii. 15-20. 

15 And it came to pass, that after the angels 
departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said 
one to another : Let us go over to Bethlehem ; and 
let us see this word that is come to pass, which the 
Lord hath showed to us. 

16 And they came with haste : and they found 
Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in a manger. 

17 And seeing, they understood of the word that 
had been spoken to them concerning this child. 

18 And all they that heard wondered ; and at those 
things that were told them by the shepherds. 

19 But Mary kept all these words, pondering them 
in her heart . 

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and 
praising God, for all the things they had heard, and 
seen, as it was told unto them. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



221 



CHRISTMAS THIRD MASS. 

Epistle. Hebrew i. 1-12. 

GOD having spoken on clivers occasions, and 
many ways, in times past, to the fathers by the 
prophets : last of all, 

2 In these days hath spoken to ns by his Son, 
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom 
also he made the world : 

3 Who, being the splendor of his glory, and the 
figure of his substance, and upholding all things by 
the word of his power, making purgation of sins, 
sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high : 

4 Being made so much better than the angels, as 
he hath inherited a more excellent name above them. 

5 For, to which of the angels hath he said at any 
time : Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten 
thee ? And again : I will be to him a Father ; and 
he shall be to me a Son ? 

6 And again, when he introduceth the first-begot- 
ten into the world, he saith : And let all the angels of 
God adore Mm. 

7 And to the angels indeed he saith : He that 
maketh his angels, spirits ; and his ministers, a flame 
of fire. 

8 But to the Son, Thy throne, O God, is forever 
and ever : a sceptfe of justice is the sceptre of thy 
kingdom. 

9 Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity ; 
therefore, God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the 
oil of gladness above them that are partakers with 
thee. 

10 And : Thou in the beginning, O Lord, hast 
founded the earth : and the heavens are the works 
of thy hands. 

11 They shall perish, but thou shalt continue ; and 
they shall all grow old as a garment : 



222 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



12 And as a vesture shalt thou change them ; and 
they shall be changed : but thou art the self-same ; 
and thy years shall not fail. 

Gospel St. John i. 1-14. 

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
was with God, and the Word was God. 

2 The same was in the beginning with God. 

3 All things were made by him : and without him 
was made nothing that was made. 

4 In him was Bfe ; and the life was the light of 
men : 

5 And the light shineth in darkness ; and the dark- 
ness did not comprehend it. 

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name 
was John. 

7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness 
of the light, that all men might believe through him. 

8 He was not the light, but was to bear witness of 
the light. 

9 That was the true light, which enlighteneth every 
man that cometh into this world. 

10 He was in the world, and the world was made 
by him ; and the world knew him not. 

1 1 He came unto his own ; and his own received 
him not. 

12 But as many as received him, to them he gave 
power to be made the sons of God. to them that be- 
lieve in his name : 

13 AVho are born, not of blood, nor of the will of 
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
among us : and we saw his glory, the glory as of the 
only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS 



223 



ST. STEPHEN. 

Lesson. Acts vi. 8-10 ; vii. 54-59. 

NOW Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, did great 
wonders and miracles among the people. 

9 But certain men of the synagogue, that is called 
of the Libertines, and the Cyreneans, and of the 
Alexandrians, and of those that were of Cilicia and 
Asia, rose up disputing with Stephen : 

10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom 
and the spirit with which he spoke. 

54 Now, hearing these things, they were cut to the 
heart : and they gnashed with their teeth at him. 

55 But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up 
steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus 
standing at the right hand of God. And he said : 
Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of 
man standing at the right hand of God. 

56 And they crying out with a loud Yoice, stopped 
their ears, and with one accord rushed in violently 
upon him. 

57 And having cast him out of the city, the} T stoned 
him : and the witnesses laid down their garments at 
the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. 

58 And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and say- 
ing : Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 

59 And kneeling down, he cried out with a loud 
voice, saving : Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. 
And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. 

Gospel St. Matthew xxiii. 34-39. 

34 Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, and 
wise men, and Scribes : And some of them you will 
put to death, and crucify : and some you will scourge 
in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to 
city : 



224 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



35 That upon von may come all the just blood that 
hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of 
Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias. the 
son of Barachias, whom you killed between the tem- 
ple and the altar. 

36 Amen I say to you. all these things shall come 
upon this generation. 

37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the 
prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee ! 
how often would I have gathered together thy chil- 
dren, as the hen gathereth her chickens under her 
wings, and thou wouldst not? 

38 Behold, your house shall be left to you desolate. 

39 For I say to you, you shall not see me hence- 
forth till you say : Blessed is he that cometh in the 
name of the Lord. 

ST. JOHN. 

Lesson. Ecclesiasticus xv. 1-6. 

HE that feareth God will do good : and he that 
possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her : 

2 And she will meet him as an honorable mother, 
and will receive him as a wife married of a virgin. 

3 With the bread of life and understanding she 
shall feed him. and give him the water of wholesome 
wisdom to drink : and she shall be made strong in 
him : and he shall not be moved : 

4 And she shall hold him fast : and he shall not 
be confounded : and she shall exalt him among his 
neighbors. 

5 And in the midst of the church she shall open 
his mouth ; and shall fill him with the spirit of wis- 
dom and understanding : and shall clothe him with a 
robe of glory. 

6 She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and 
gladness ; and shall cause him to inherit an everlast- 
ing name. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



225 



Gospel. St. John xxi. 20-24. 

20 Peter turning about, saw that disciple, whom 
Jesus loved, following, who also leaned on his breast 
at the supper, and said: Lord, who is he that shall 
betray thee ? 

21 Him. therefore, when Peter had seen, he saith 
to Jesus : Lord, and what shall this man do? 

22 Jesus saith to him : So I will have him to re- 
main till I come, what is it to thee ? Follow thou me. 

23 This saying, therefore, went abroad among the 
brethren, that that disciple dieth not. And Jesus did 
not say to him : He dieth not : but. So I will have him 
to remain till I come, what is it to thee? 

24 This is that disciple who giveth testimony of 
these things, and hath written these things : and we 
know that his testimony is true. 

THE HOLY INNOCENTS. 

Lesson. Apocalypse xiv. 1-5. 

AXD I saw : and, behold, a Lamb stood on Mount 
Sion. and with him a hundred forty- four thou- 
sand having his name and the name of his Father 
written in their foreheads. 

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice 
of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder: 
and the voice which I heard was as of harpers, harp- 
ing on their harps. 

3 And they sung as it were a new canticle, before 
the throne, and before the four living creatures, and 
the ancients : and no man could say the canticle, but 
those hundred forty-four thousand, who were pur- 
chased from the earth. 

4 These are they who were not defiled with wo- 
men : for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb 
whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from 

15 



226 



THE EPISTLES AXD GOSPELS, 



among men, the first-fruits to God and to the 
Lamb. 

5 And in their mouth was found no lie : for they 
are without spot before the throne of God 

Gospel. St. Matthew ii. 13-18. 

13 Behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep 
to Joseph, saying : Arise, and take the child and his 
mother, and fly into Egypt : and he there until I 
shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod 
will seek the child, to destroy him. 

14 Who rising up. took the child and his mother 
by night, and retired into Egypt. 

lo And he was there until the death of Herod.' 
that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by 
the prophet, saying : Out of Egypt have I called 
my son. 

1G Then Herod, perceiving that he was deluded 
by the wise men. was exceeding angry : and send- 
ing, killed all the men-children that were in Bethle- 
hem, and in all the confines thereof, from two years 
old and under, according to the time which he had 
diligently inquired of the wise men. 

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by 
Jeremias. the prophet, saying: 

18 A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and 
great mourning : Rachel bewailing her children, and 
would not be comforted, because they are not. 

ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY. 

Epistle. Hebrews v. 1-16. 

FOR every high-priest taken from among men. is 
appointed for men in the things that appertain 
to God. that he may offer up gifts and aacrilices for 
sins. 

2 \Vho can have compassion on them who are 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



227 



ignorant, and err : because lie himself also is en- 
compassed with infirmity : 

3 And therefore he ought, as for the people, so 
also for himself, to offer for sins. 

4 Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, 
but he that is called by God. as Aaron was. 

5 So also Christ did not glorify himself to be made 
a high-priest : but he that -aid to him : Thou art my 
Son. this day have I begotten thee. 

6 As he saith also in another place : Thou art a 
priest forever, according to the order of MelehLsedech. 

Gospel, St. John x. 11-16. 

11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd 
giveth his life for his sheep. 

12 But the hireling, and he that is not the shep- 
herd, whose own sheep they are not. seeth the wolf 
coming, and leaveth the sheep and flieth : and the 
wolf snatcheth and scattereth the sheep. 

13 And the hireling flieth, because he is a hire- 
ling : and he hath no care for th^ sheep. 

Id I am the good shepherd ; and I know mine, and 
mine know me : 

15 As the Father knoweth me. and I know the 
Father : and I lay down my life for my sheep : 

10 And other sheep I have, that are not of this 
fold : them also I must bring : and they shall hear 
my voice : and there shall be made one fold and 
one shepherd. 

ST. SILVESTER. 

Epistle. 2 Timothy iv. 1-8. 

I CHARGE thee before God and Jesus Christ, who 
shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming, 
and his kingdom : 

2 Preach the word ; be instant in season, out of 



228 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



season; reprove, entreat, rebuke with all* patience 
and doctrine. 

3 For there shall be a time when the}' will not 
bear sound doctrine ; but according to their own 
desires they will heap to themselves teachers, having 
itching ears : 

4 And will turn away indeed their hearing from 
the truth, and will be turned to fables. 

5 But be thou vigilant : labor in all things ; do the 
work of an evangelist ; fulfil thy ministry. Be sober. 

6 For I am even now ready to be sacrificed : and 
the time of my dissolution is at hand. 

7 I have fought a good light ; I have finished my 
course ; I have kept the faith. 

8 For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of 
justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to 
me at that day : and not to me only, but to them also, 
who love his coming. 

Gospel. St. Luke xii. 35-40. 

35 Let your loins be girded, and lamps burning in 
your hands, 

36 And you yourselves like to men who wait for 
their lord, when he shall return from the wedding : 
that when he cometh. and knocketh. the}' may open 
to him immediately. 

37 Blessed are those servants whom the Lord, 
when he cometh. shall find watching. Amen I say 
to you. that he will gird himself, and make them sit 
down to meat, and passing will minister to them. 

38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or 
if he shall come in the third watch, and find them so, 
blessed are those servants. 

39 But this know ye. that if a master of a family 
did know at what hour the thief would come, he would 
surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be 
broke open. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



229 



40 Be you also ready : for at what hour you think 
not, the Son of man will come. 

CIRCUMCISION. 

Epistle. Titus ii. 11-15. 

FOR the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared 
to all men, 

12 Instructing us, that renouncing impiety and 
worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, 
and piously in this world, 

13 Waiting for the blessed hope, and coming of 
the glory of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ : 

14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people 
acceptable, pursuing good works. 

15 These things speak and exhort. 

Gospel. Luke ii. 21. 

21 And after eight da}^s were accomplished that 
the child should be circumcised, his name was called 
Jesus, which was called by the angel, before he was 
conceived in the womb. 

VIGIL OF EPIPHANY. 

Epistle. Galatians iv. 1-7. 

NOW I say : As long as the heir is a child, he dif- 
fereth nothing from a servant, though he be lord 
of all : 

2 But is under tutors and governors, until the time 
appointed by the father. 

3 Even so we, when we were children, were in 
bondage, under the elements of the world. 

4 But when the fulness of the time was come, 



230 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Gocl sent his Son, made of a woman, made under 
the law ; 

5 That he might redeem those who were under 
the law ; that we might receive the adoption of sons. 

6 And because you are sons, God hath sent the 
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, 
Father. 

7 Therefore now he is no more a servant, but a 
son. And if a son, an heir also through God. 

Gospel. St. Matthew ii. 19-23. 

19 Xow Herod being dead, behold, an angel of the 
Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, 

20 Saying : Rise, and take the child and his mother, 
and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead, who 
sought the life of the child : 

21 Who, rising up, took the child and his mother, 
and came into the land of Israel. 

22 But hearing that Archclaus reigned in Judea 
in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go 
thither : and being warned in sleep, he retired into 
the parts of Galilee. 

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Naz- 
areth ; that it might be fulfilled what was said by the 
prophets : that he shall be called a Nazarene. 

EPIPHANY. 

Lesson. Isaias lx. 1-6. 

AEISE, be enlightened. O Jerusalem : for thy light 
is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon 

thee. 

2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a 
mist the people : but the Lord shall arise upon thee, 
and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 

3 And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and 
kings in the brightness of thy rising. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLTDAYS. 



231 



* 4 Lift up thy eyes round about, and see : all these 
! are gathered together, they are come to thee : thy 

sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall 

rise up at thy side. 

5 Then shalt thou see. and abound, and thy heart 
shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of 
the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the 
Gentiles shall come to thee. 

6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the 
dromedaries of Madian and Epha : all they from Saba 
shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and show- 
ing forth praise to the Lord. 

Gospel. St. Matthew ii. 1-12. 

1 Xow when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of 
Juda. in the days of king Herod, behold, there came 
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 

2 Saying : >Vhere is he that is born King of the 
Jews ? for we have seen his star in the east, and we 
are come to adore him. 

3 And Herod the king hearing this, was troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him. 

4 And assembling together all the chief priests, 
and the Scribes of the people, he inquired of them 
where Christ should be born. 

5 But they said to him : In Bethlehem of Juda : for 
so it is written by the prophet : 

6 And thou. Bethlehem, the land of Juda. art not 
the least among the princes of Juda : for out of thee 
shall come forth the ruler, who shall rule my people 
Israel. 

7 Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, 
inquired of them diligently the time of the star's ap- 
pearing to them : 

8 And sending them into Bethlehem, said : Go, 
and search diligently after the child : and when you 



232 



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have found him, bring me word again, that I also may 
come and adore him. 

9 And when they had heard the king, they went 
their way : and behold, the star, which they had seen 
in the east, went before them, until it came and stood 
over where the child was. 

10 And, seeing the star, the}' rejoiced with exceed- 
ing great joy. 

11 And going into the house, they found the child 
with Mary his mother : and falling down, they adore 1 
him : and opening their treasures, they offered to hi*** 
gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

12 And having received an answer in sleep, that 
they should not return to Herod, they went back an- 
other way into their own country. 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Epistle. Romans xii. 1-5. 

I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercy 
of God, that you present jour bodies a living sacri- 
fice, holy, pleasing to God, your reasonable service. 

2 And be not conformed to tins world : but be re- 
formed in the newness of your mind ; that you may 
prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the 
perfect will of God. 

3 For I say, through the grace that is given me, to 
all that are among you, not to be more wise than it 
behooveth to be wise ; but to be wise unto sobriety, 
and according as God hath divided to every one the 
measure of faith. 

4 For as in one bod}' we have man}' members, but 
all the members have not the same office : 

5 So we being many, are one body in Christ, and 
each one, members one of another. 



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233 



Gospel. St. Luke ii. 42-52. 

42 And when he was twelve } T ears old, they went 
up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast. 

43 And after they had fulfilled the days, when 
they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem ; 
and his parents knew it not. 

44 And thinking that he was in the company, they 
came a day's journey, and sought him among their 
kinsfolks and acquaintance. 

45 And not finding him, they returned into Jeru- 
salem, seeking him. 

46 And it came to pass, that after three days they 
found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the 
doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. 

47 And all that heard him were astonished at his 
wisdom and his answers. 

48 And seeing him, the}' wondered. And his 
mother said to him : Son, why hast thou done so to 
us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sor- 
rowing. 

49 And he said to them : How is it that 3^011 
sought me ? did you not know that I must be about 
the things that are my Father's ? 

50 And they understood not the word that he 
spoke unto them. 

51 And he went down with them, and came to 
Nazareth ; and was subject to them. And his mother 
kept all these words in her heart. 

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom, and age, and 
grace with God and men. 



234 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Epistle, Romans xii. 6-16. 

AXD having gifts different, according to the grace 
that is given us, whether prophecy, according 
to the proportion of faith : 

7 Or ministry, in ministering : or he that teacheth. 
in teaching ; 

8 He that exhorteth. in exhorting : he that giveth 
with simplicity : he that ruleth with solicitude ; he 
that showeth mercy with cheerfulness. 

9 Love without dissimulation. Hating that which 
is evil, adhering to that which is good : 

10 Loving one another with brotherly love; in 
honor preventing one another : 

1 1 In solicitude not slothful : in spirit fervent : 
serving the Lord : 

12 Eejoicing in hope: patient in tribulation: in- 
stant in prayer : 

13 Communicating to the necessities of the saints: 
pursuing hospitality. 

14 Bless them that persecute you : bless, and 
curse not. 

15 Eejoice with them that rejoice : weep with them 
that weep : 

16 Being of one mind one to another: not high- 
minded, but condescending to the humble. 

Gospel. St. John ii. 1-11. 

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana 
of Galilee : and the mother of Jesus was there. 

2 And Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, 
to the marriage. 

3 And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith 
to him : They have no wine. 

4 And Jesus saith to her : Woman, what is that 
to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS. 



235 



5 His mother saith to the waiters : Whatsoever he 
shall say to you, do ye. 

6 Now there were set there six water-pots of stone, 
according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, 
containing two or three measures apiece. 

7 Jesus saith to them : Fill the water-pots with 
water. And they filled them up to the brim. 

8 And Jesus saith to them : Draw out now, and 
carry to the chief steward of the feast. And they 
carried it. 

9 And when the chief steward had tasted the water 
made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the wait- 
ers knew who had drawn the water, the chief steward 
calleth the bridegroom, 

1 And saith to hhn : Every man at first setteth 
forth good wine ; and when men have well drank, 
then that which is worse : but thou hast kept the good 
wine until now. 

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana 
of Galilee : and he manifested his glory ; and his dis- 
ciples believed in him. 

NAME OF JESUS. 

Lesson. Acts iv. 8-12. 

THEN Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said to 
them : Ye rulers of the people and ancients, 

hear : 

9 If we this day are examined concerning the good 
deed done to the infirm man, b}' what means he hath 
been made whole ; 

10 Be it known to you all, and to all the. people 
of Israel, that in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ 
of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath 
raised from the dead, even by him doth this man 
stand here before you whole. 

11 This is the stone which was rejected by you 



236 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



the builders ; which is become the head of the 
corner : 

12 Nor is there salvation in any other. For there 
is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby 
we must be saved. 

Gospel. St. Luke ii. 21. 

21 And after eight days were accomplished that 
the child should be circumcised, his name was called 
Jesus, which was called by the angel, before he was 
conceived in the womb. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Epistle. Romans xii. 16-21. 

BEING of one mind one to another : not high- 
minded, but condescending to the humble. Be 
not wise in your own conceits : 

17 Render to no man evil for evil: provide things 
good not only in the sight of God, but also in the 
sight of all men. 

18 If it be possible, as much as is in you, have 
peace with all men. 

19 Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved, 
but give place to wrath ; for it is written : Revenge 
is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. 

20 But if thy enemy be hungry, give him to eat : 
if he thirst, give him drink : for doing this, thou shalt 
heap coals of fire on his head. 

21 Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by 
good. 

Gospel. St. Matthew viii. 1-13. 

1 And when he was come down from the moun- 
tain, great multitudes followed him : 



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237 



2 And behold, a leper coming, adored Mm, saying : 
Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

3 And Jesus, stretching forth his hand, touched 
him, saying: I will. Be thou made clean. And im- 
mediately his leprosy was cleansed. 

4 And Jesus said to him : See thou tell no man : 
but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift 
which Moses commanded for a testimoiry to them. 

5 And when he had entered into Capharnaum, 
there came to him a centurion, beseeching him, 

6 And saying : Lord, my servant lieth at home 
sick of the pals}', and is grievously tormented. 

7 And Jesus said to him : I will come and heal 
him. 

8 And the centurion making answer, said : Lord, 
I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my 
roof : but only say the word, and my servant shall 
be healed. 

9 For I also am a man under authority, having sol- 
diers under me : and I say to this man, Go, and he 
goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ; and 
to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 

10 And Jesus, hearing this, wondered, and said to 
those that followed him : Amen I say to you, I have 
not found so great faith in Israel. 

11 And I say unto you, that mam' shall come from 
the East and the West, and shall sit down with Abra- 
ham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven : 

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast 
out into exterior darkness : there shall be weeping 
and gnashing of teeth. 

13 And Jesus said to the centurion : Go ; and as 
thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. And the 
servant was healed at the same hour. 



238 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Epistle. Romans xiii. 8-10. 

OWE no man anything, but that you love one 
another : for he that loveth his neighbor hath 
fulfilled the law. 

9 For thou shalt not commit adultery : Thou shalt 
not kill : Thou shalt not steal : Thou shalt not bear 
false witness : Thou shalt not covet : and if there be 
any other commandment, it is comprised in this word : 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 

10 The love of the neighbor worketh no evil. Love 
therefore is the fulfilling of the law. 

Gospel. St. Matthew viii. 23-27. 

23 And when he entered into the ship, his disciples 
followed him : 

24 And behold, a great tempest arose in the sea, 
so that the ship was covered with waves : but he was 
asleep. 

25 And his disciples came to him, and awaked him, 
saying : Lord, save us, we perish. 

26 And Jesus saith to them : Why are you fearful, 
O ye of little faith? Then rising up, he commanded 
the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm. 

27 But the men wondered, saying : Who is this, 
for even the winds and the sea obey him ? 

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. 

Epistle. Colossians iii. 12-17. 

PUT ye on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy, 
and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, 
humility, modesty, patience : 

13 Bearing with one another, and forgiving one 
another, if any have a complaint against another : 



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239 



even as the Lord hath forgiven }xm, so do you 
also. 

14 But, above all these things, have charity, which 
is the bond of perfection : 

15 And let the peace of Christ rejoice in your 
hearts, wherein also you are called in one body : and 
be ye thankful. 

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundant- 
ly, in all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one 
another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, 
singing in grace in } T our hearts to God. 

17 All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do 
all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving 
thanks to God and the Father by him. 

Gospel St. Matthew xiii. 24-30. 

24 Another parable he proposed to them, saying : 
The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that 
sowed good seed in his field. 

25 But while men were asleep, his enemy came, 
and oversowed cockle among the wheat ; and went 
his wa} r . 

26 And when the blade was sprung up, and brought 
forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. 

27 Then the servants of the master of the house 
came, and said to him : Master, didst thou not sow 
good seed in tlry field? from whence then hath it 
cockle ? 

28 And he said to them : An enemy hath done 
this. And the servants said to him : Wilt thou that 
we go and gather it up ? 

29 And he said : No ; lest, while ye gather up the 
cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. 

30 Let both grow until the harvest : and in the 
time of the harvest I will say to the reapers : Gather 
up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn ; 
but gather the wheat into my barn. 



240 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



SIXTH SUNDAY AETER EPIPHANY. 

Epistle. 1 Thessalonians i. 2-10. 

GRACE be to you. and peace. We give thanks 
to God always for you all : making a remem- 
brance of you in our prayers without ceasing. 

3 Being mindful of the work of your faith, and 
labor, and charity, and of the enduring of the hope 
of our Lord Jesus C hrist, before God and our Father : 
-i Knowing, brethren beloved of God. your elec- 
tion : 

5 For our gospel hath not been to you in word 
only, but in power also, and in the Holy Ghost, and 
in much fulness, as you know what manner of men 
we have been among you for your sakes. 

6 And you became followers of us, and of the 
Lord : receiving the word in much tribulation, with 
the joy of the Holy Ghost : 

7 So that you were made a pattern to all that be- 
lieve in Macedonia and in Achaia. 

8 For from you was spread abroad the word of the 
Lord, not only in Macedonia and in Achaia ; but also 
in every place, your faith which is towards God. is 
gone forth, so that we need not to speak anything. 

9 For they themselves relate of us. what manner 
of entrance we had unto you ; and how you were con- 
verted to God from idols, to serve the living and true 
God; 

10 And to wait for his Son from heaven (whom he 
raised from the dead). Jesus, who hath delivered us 
from the wrath to come. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xhi. 31-35. 

31 Another parable he proposed to them, saying: 
The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustaid- 
seed. which a man took and sowed in his field : 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYD AYS . 



241 



32 "Which indeed is the least of all seeds : but 
when it is grown up, it is greater than any herbs, 
and beeometh a tree ; so that the birds of the air 
come, and dwell in the branches thereof. 

33 Another parable he spoke to them : The king- 
dom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took 
and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole 
was leavened. 

34 All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the 
multitudes : and without parables he did not speak 
to them. 

35 That the word might be fulfilled which was 
spoken by the prophet, saying : I will open my mouth 
in parables : I will utter things hidden from the foun- 
dation of the world. 



SEPTUAGESIMA. 

Epistle, 1 Corinthians ix. 24-27 ; x. 1-5. 

KXOAV you not that they who run in the race, all 
run indeed, but one receiveth the prize ? So 
run that you may obtain. 

25 And every one that striveth for the mastery 
refraineth himself from all things : and they indeed 
that they may receive a corruptible crown ; but we 
an incorruptible one. 

2G I therefore so run, not as at an uncertainty : I 
so fight, not as one beating the air : 

27 But I chastise my body, and bring it into 
subjection : lest, perhaps, when I have preached to 
others, I myself should become reprobate. 

1 For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, 
that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all 
passed through the sea : 

2 And all in Moses were baptized, in the cloud, 
and in the sea : 

16 



242 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



3 And they all ate the same spiritual food : 

4 And all drank the same spiritual drink : (and 
they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them : 
and the rock was Christ.) 

5 But with the most of them God was not well 
pleased. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xx..l-16. 

1 The kingdom of heaven is like to a master of a 
family, who went out early in the morning to hire 
laborers into his vineyard. 

2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a 
penny a day. he sent them into his vineyard. 

3 And he went out about the third hour ; and saw 
others standing idle in the market-place, 

4 And he said to them : Go yon also into my vine- 
yard : and I will give yon what shall be just. 

5 And they went their way. And again he went 
out about the sixth and the ninth hour : and did in 
like manner. 

6 But about the eleventh hour he went out. and 
found others standing : and he saith to them : Why 
stand yon here all the day idle ? 

7 They say to him : Because no man hath hired us. 
He saith to them : Go yon also into my vineyard. 

8 And when evening was come, the lord of the 
vineyard saith to his steward : Call the laborers, and 
pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to 
the first. 

9 TThen. therefore, they came, who had come about 
the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 

10 But when the first also came, they thought that 
they should have received more : and they likewise 
received exevy man a penny. 

11 And when they received it. they murmured 
against the master of the house. 



FOR SUNDAYS AXD HOLYDAYS. 



243 



12 Saving : These last have worked but one hour : 
and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne 
the burden of the day and the heats . 

13 But he. answering one of them, said. Friend, I 
do thee no wrong : didst thou not agree with me for 
a penny ? 

14 Take what is thine, and go thy way : I will also 
give to this last even as to thee. 

15 Or is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is 
thy eye evil, because I am good? 

16 So shall the last be first 1 and the first last. For 
man}' are called, but few chosen. 

SEXAGESniA. 

Epistle. 2 Cor. xi. 19-33 ; xii. 1-9. 

FOR you gladly suffer the foolish : whereas you 
yourselves are wise. 

20 For you suffer, if a man bring you into bond- 
age, if a man devour you. if a man take from you, 
if a man be extolled, if a man strike you on the face. 

21 I speak according to dishonor, as if we had 
been weak in this part. Wherein if any man is bold 
(I speak foolishly) I am bold also. 

22 They are Hebrews : so am I. They are Israel- 
ites : so am I. They are the seed of Abraham : so 
am L 

23 They are the ministers of Christ : (I speak as 
one less wise :) I am more : in many more labors, in 
prisons more frequently, in stripes above measure, in 
deaths often. 

24 Of the Jews live times did I receive forty 
stripes, save one. 

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods : once I was 
stoned : thrice I suffered shipwreck : a night and a 
da}' I was in the depth of the sea. 

26 In journeys often, in perils of rivers, in perils 



2U 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



of robbers, in perils from my own nation, in perils 
from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in 
the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils from 
false brethren : 

27 In labor and painfullness, in watehings often, 
in hunger and thirst, in many fastings, in cold and 
nakedness. 

28 Besides those things that are without : my 
daily instance, the solicitude for a^l the churches. 

2!) Who is weak, and I am not weak? AVho is 
scandalized, and I do not burn? 

30 If I must needs glory : I will glory of the things 
that concern my infirmity, 

31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who is blessed forever, knoweth that I lie not. 

32 At Damascus the governor of the nation under 
Aretas the king, guarded the city of the Damascenes, 
to apprehend me : 

33 And through a window in a basket I was let 
down by the wall, and so escaped his hands. 

1 If I must glory (it is not expedient indeed :) but 
I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 

2 I know a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, 
whether in the body I know not. or out of the body 
I know not. God knoweth. such a one caught up to 
the third heaven. 

3 And I know such a man. whether in the body, or 
out of the body. I know not. God knoweth : 

4 That he was caught up into paradise : and heard 
secret words, which it is not granted to man to utter. 

5 Of such a one I will glory : but for myself I will 
glory nothing, but in my infirmities. 

6 For even if I would glory. I shall not be fool- 
ish : for I shall say the truth : but I forbear, lest any 
man should think of me above that which he seeth in 
me, or anything he heareth from me. 

7 And lest the greatness of the revelations should 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



245 



puff me up. there was given me a sting of my flesh, 
an angel of Satan, to buffet me. 

8 For which thing I thrice besought the Lord, 
that it might depart from me : 

9 And he said to me : My grace is sufficient for 
thee : for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly, 
therefore, will I glory in my infirmities, that the power 
of Christ may dwell in me. 

Gospel. St. Luke viii. 4-15. 

4 And when a very great multitude was gathered 
together, and hastened out of the cities to him, he 
spoke by a similitude : 

5 A sower went out to sow his seed : and, as he 
sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden 
down, and the fowls of the air devoured it : 

6 And some fell upon a rock, and, as soon as it 
was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no 
moisture : 

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns, 
growing up with it. choked it : 

8 And some fell upon good ground, and sprung 
up. and yielded fruit a hundred-fold. Saying these 
things, he cried out : He that hath ears to hear, let 
him hear. 

9 And his disciples asked him what this parable 
might be. 

10 To whom he said : To you it is given to know 
the nrystery of the kingdom of God : but to the 
rest in parables : that seeing they may not see, and 
hearing they may not understand. 

11 Now the parable is this : The seed is the word 
of God. 

1 2 And they by the wayside are they that hear : 
then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of 
their heart, lest, believing, they should be saved. 

13 Xow, they upon the rock are they who, when 



246 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



they hear, receive the word with joy : and these have 
no roots ; who believe for a while, and in time of 
temptation fall away. 

14 And that which fell among thorns are they 
who have heard, and. going their way. are choked 
with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, 
and yield no fruit. 

15 But that on the good ground are they who in 
a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, 
and bring forth fruit in patience. 

QUINQUAGESIMA. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians xiii. 1-13. 

IF I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 
and have not charity. I am become as sounding 
brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

2 And if I should have prophecy, and should 
know all mysteries, and all knowledge ; and if I 
should have all faith, so that I could remove moun- 
tains, and have not charity. I am nothing. 

3 And if I should distribute all my goods to feed 
the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be 
burned, and have not charity, it proliteth me noth- 
ing. 

4 Charity is patient, is kind : charity envieth not, 
dealeth not perversely, is not puffed up, 

5 Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not 
provoked to anger, thinketh no evil. 

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the 
truth : 

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth 
all things, endureth all things. 

8 Charity never faileth : whether prophecies shall 
be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knoAvledge 
shall be destroyed. 

9 For we know in part ; and we prophesy in part. 



FOR SUNDAYS AXD HOLTDAYS. 



247 



10 But when that which is perfect shall come, that 
which is in part shall be done away. 

11 When I was a child. I spoke as a child. I 
understood as a child. I thought as a child. But 
when I became a man. I put away the things of 
a child. 

12 TTe see now through a glass in an obscure 
manner : but then face to face. Now I know in 
part : but then I shall know even as I am known. 

13 And now there remain, faith, hope, and charity, 
these three : but the greatest of these is charity. 

Gospel. St. Luke xviii. 31-43. 

31 Then Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said 
to them : Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ; and all 
things shall be _ accomplished which were written by 
the prophets concerning the Son of man. 

32 For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and 
shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon : 

33 And after they have scourged him. they will 
put him to death, and the third day he shall rise 
again. 

34 And they understood none of these things ; 
and this word was hid from them : and they under- 
stood not the things that were said. 

35 Xow it came to pass. that, when he drew nigh 
to Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside, 
begging. 

36 And when he heard the multitude passing by, 
he asked what this meant. 

37 And they told him that Jesus of Xazareth was 
passing by. 

38 And he cried out. saying : Jesus. Son of 
David, have mercy on me. 

39 And they that went before rebuked him, that 
he should hold his peace. But he cried out much 
more : Son of David, have mercy on me. 



248 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



40 And Jesus stood and commanded him to be 
brought to him. And when he was come near, he 
asked him, ( 

41 Saying: What wilt thou that I do to thee? 
But he said : Lord, that I may see. 

42 And Jesus said to him : Receive thy sight ; 
thy faith hath made thee whole. 

43 And immediately he saw, and followed him, 
glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw 
it, gave praise to God. 

ASH-WEDNESD AY . 

Lesson, Joel ii. 12-19. 

NOW therefore saith the Lord : Be converted to 
me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weep- 
ing, and in mourning. 

13 And rend j'our hearts, and not your garments, 
and turn to the Lord your God ; for he is gracious 
and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to 
repent of the evil. 

14 Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive 
and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation 
to the Lord y our God ? 

15 Blow the trmnpet in Zion ; sanctify a fast ; call 
a solemn assembly. 

1G Gather together the people ; sanctify the 
church ; assemble the ancients ; gather together the 
little ones, and them that suck at the breasts : let 
the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride 
out of her bride-chamber. 

17 Between the porch and the altar the priests, 
the Lord's ministers shall weep, and shall say : Spare, 
O Lord, spare thy people : and give not thy inheri- 
tance to reproach, that the heathens should rule over 
them. Why should they say among the nations : 
Where is their God? 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



249 



18 The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and 
hath spared his people. 

19 And the Lord answered, and said to his peo- 
ple : Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, 
and you shall be tilled with them : and I will no more 
make you a reproach among the nations „ 

Gospel. St. Matthew vi. 16-21. 

16 And when you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, 
sad ; for they disfigure their faces, that to men they 
may appear fasting. Amen I say to you, they haYe 
received their reward. 

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, 
and wash thy face ; 

18 That thou appear not fasting to men, but to 
thy Father, who is in secret : and thy Father, who 
seeth in secret, will reward thee. 

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth : 
where the rust and the moth consume, and where 
thieves dig through and steal. 

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ; 
where neither the rust nor the moth cloth consume, 
and where thieves do not dig through, nor steal. 

21 For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart 
also. 

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. 

Epistle. 2 Corinthians vi. 1-10. 

AND we helping do exhort you, that you receive 
not the grace of God in vain. 

2 For he saith : In an accepted time have I heard 
thee : and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. 
Behold, now is the acceptable time : behold, now is 
the day of salvation. 

3 Giving no offence to any one, that our ministry 
be not blamed : 

4 But in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the 



250 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



ministers of God. in much patience, in tribulation, in 
necessities, in distresses, 

5 In stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in 
watchings, in fastings, 

6 In chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in 
sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned. 

7 In the word of truth, in the power of God : by the 
armor of justice, on the right hand, and on the left : 

8 Through honor and dishonor, through infamy 
and good name : as seducers, and yet speaking truth ; 
as unknown, and yet known : 

9 As dying, and behold, we live ; as chastised, 
and not killed ; 

10 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as needy, 
yet enriching man}' ; as having nothing, and pos- 
sessing all things. 

Gospel. St. Matthew iv. 1-11. 

1 Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, 
to be tempted by the devil. 

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty 
nights, he was afterwards hungry. 

3 And the tempter, coming, said to him : If thou 
be the Son of God, command that these stones be 
made bread. 

4 But he answered and said : It is written : Man 
liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that 
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

5 Then the devil took him up into the holy city, 
and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 

6 And said to him : If thou be the Son of God. 
cast thyself down ; for it is written : That he hath 
given his Angels charge of thee : and in their hands 
shall they bear thee up, lest, perhaps, thou hurt thy 
foot against a stone. 

7 Jesus said to him : It is written again : Thou 
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 251 



8 Again the devil took him up into a very high 
mountain : and showed him all the kingdoms of the 
world, and the glory of them. 

9 And said unto him : Ail these will I give thee, 
if, falling down, thou wilt adore me. 

10 Then Jesus said to him : Begone. Satan : for 
it is written : The Lord thy God thou shalt adore, and 
him only shalt thou serve. 

11 Then the devil left him; and, behold, Angels 
came and ministered to him. 

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT. 

Epistle. 1 Thessalonians iv. 1-7. 

FOR the rest, therefore, brethren, we pray and 
beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have 
received from us, how you ought to walk, and to 
please God, so also you would walk, that xom may 
abound the more. 

2 For you know what commandments I have given 
to you by the Lord Jesus. 

3 For this is the will of God. your sanctiflcation ; 
that you should abstain from fornication : 

4 That every one of you should know how to pos- 
sess his vessel in sanctification and honor ; 

5 Xot in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles, 
who know not God : 

6 And that no man over-reach nor deceive his 
brother in business : because the Lord is the avenger 
of all such things, as we have told you before, and 
have testified. 

7 For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but 
to holiness. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xvii. 1-9. 
1 And after six days, Jesus taketh unto him 
Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth 
them up into a high mountain apart. 



252 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



2 And he was transfigured before them. And his 
face did shine as the sun : and his garments became 
white as snow. 

3 And. behold, there appeared to them Moses, 
and Elias talking with him. 

4 Then Peter, answering, said to Jesus : Lord, it 
is good for us to be here : if thou wilt, let us make 
here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for 
Moses, and one for Elias. 

5 And as he was yet speaking, behold, a bright 
eloud overshadowed them. And. behold, a voice out 
of the clouds, saying : This is my beloved Son. in 
whom I am well pleased : hear ye him. 

6 And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, 
and were very much afraid. 

7 And Jesus came, and touched them : and said 
to them : Arise, and be not afraid. 

8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no 
man. but only Jesus. 

9 And as they came down from the mountain, 
Jesus charged them, saying : Tell the vision to no 
man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead. 



E ye. therefore, followers of God. as most dear 



2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us. 
and hath delivered himself for us. an oblation and a 
sacrifice to God. for an odor of sweetness. 

3 But fornication and all uncleanness. or covet- 
ousness. let it not so much as be named among you. 
as it becometh saints : 

4 Nor obscenity, nor foolish talking, nor scurrility, 
which is to no purpose ; but rather giving of thanks. 



THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT. 



Epistle. Ephesians v. 1-9. 




FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS 



253 



5 For know ve this, and understand, that no for- 
nicator, nor un clean, nor covetous person, which is a 
serving of idols, hath any inheritance in the kingdom 
of Christ, and of God. 

6 Let no man deceive von with vain words : for 
because of these things cometh the anger of God 
upon the children of unbelief. 

7 Be ye not therefore partakers with them. 

8 For you were heretofore darkness, but now 
light in the Lord. Walk ye as children of the light: 

9 For the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and 
justice, and truth. 

Gospel. St. Luke xi. 14-28. 

14 And he was casting out a devil, and the same 
was dumb. And when he had cast out the devil, the 
dumb spoke, and the multitude admired. 

15 But some of them said : He casteth out devils 
in Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

16 And others, tempting, asked of him a sign 
from heaA^en. 

17 But he. seeing their thoughts, said to them: 
Ea-ciw kingdom divided against itself shall be brought 
to desolation, and a house upon a house shall fall. 

18 And if Satan also be divided against himself, 
how shall his kingdom stand ? because you say that 
in Beelzebub I cast out devils. 

19 Xow. if I cast out devils in Beelzebub ; in 
whom do your children cast them out ? Therefore 
they shall be your judges. 

20 But if 1. in the ringer of God. cast out devils ; 
doubtless the kingdom of God is come upon you. 

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his court, 
those things which he possesseth are in peace. 

22 But if a stronger than he come upon him. and 
overcome him. he will take away all his armor, 
wherein he trusted, and will distribute his spoils. 



254 



THE EPISTLES AXD GOSPELS, 



23 He that is not with me is against me : and he 
that gathereth not with me. scattereth. 

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, 
he walketh through places without water, seeking 
rest : and not finding, he saith : I will return into my 
house, whence I came out. 

25 And when he is come, he findeth it swept and 
garnished. 

26 Then he goeth and taketh with him seven other 
spirits more wicked than himself, and entering in, 
they dwell there. And the last state of that man 
becometh worse than the first. 

27 And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, 
that a certain woman from the crowd lifting up her 
voice, said to him : Blessed is the womb that bore 
thee, and the paps that gave thee suck. 

28 But he said : Yea rather, blessed are the}' 
who hear the word of God. and keep it. 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT. 

Epistle. Galatians iv. 22-31. 

FOR it is written : that Abraham had two sons ; 
the one by a bond- woman, and the other by a 
free-woman. 

23 But he that was by the bond- woman, was born 
according to the flesh : but he by the free- woman, was 
by the promise. 

24 Which things are said by an allegory. For 
these are the two testaments. The one indeed on 
Mount Sinai, which bringeth forth unto bondage, 
which is Agar. 

25 For Sinai is a mountain in Arabia, which hath 
an affinity with that which now is Jerusalem, and is 
in bondage with her children. 

26 But that Jerusalem, which is above, is free; 
which is our mother. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



255 



27 For it is written: Rejoice, thou barren, that 
bearest not : break forth and cry out, thou that 
travailest not : for man}' are the children of the 
desolate, more than of her that hath a husband. 

28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the 
children of the promise. 

29 But as then he, who was born according to the 
flesh, persecuted him, who was according to the spirit ; 
so also now. 

30 But what saith the Scripture? Cast out the 
bond-woman and her son : for the son of the bond- 
woman shall not be heir with the son of the free- 
woman. 

31 Therefore, brethren, we are not the children of 
the bond- woman, but of the free ; by the freedom 
wherewith Christ hath made us free. 

• 

Gospel, St. John vi. 1-15. 

1 After this Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, 
which is that of Tiberias : 

2 And a great multitude followed him ; because 
they saw the miracles which he did on them that 
were infirm. 

3 And Jesus went up into a mountain ; and there 
he sat with his disciples. 

4 Xow the pasch, the festival day of the Jews, 
was near at. hand. 

5 When Jesus, therefore, had lifted up his eyes* 
and seen that a very great multitude cometh to him, 
he said to Philip : Whence shall we buy bread, that 
these may eat? 

6 And this he said to try him : for he himself 
knew what he would do. 

7 Philip answered him: Two hundred penny-! 
worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every 
one may take a little. 



256 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



8 One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of 
Simon Peter, saith to him : 

9 There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves 
and two fishes ; but what are these among so mam' ? 

10 Then Jesus said: Make the men sit down. 
Xow there was much grass in the place. So the men 
sat down, in number about five thousand. 

11 And Jesus took the loaves: and when he had 
given thanks, he distributed to them that were set 
down ; in like manner also of the fishes, as much as 
the}' would. 

12 And when they were filled, he said to his 
disciples : Gather up the fragments that remain, lest 
the}' be lost. 

13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve 
baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, 
which remained over and above to them that had 
eaten. 

14 Then those men, when they had seen what a 
miracle Jesus had done, said: This is the prophet 
indeed, that is to come into the world. 

15 When Jesus, therefore, perceived that they 
would come and take him by force, and make him 
king, he tied again into the mountain himself alone. 



PASSION SUNDAY. 

Epistle. Hebrew ix. 11-15. 

BUT Christ being present a high-priest of the 
good things to come, by a greater and more 
perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not 
of this creation : 

12 Neither by the blood of goats, or of calves, 
but by his own blood, entered once into the sanctuary, 
having obtained eternal redemption. 

13 For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYD AYS . 



257 



ashes of a heifer being sprinkled, sanctify such as are 
defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh : 

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who. 
through the Holy Ghost, offered himself without spot- 
to God. cleanse our conscience from dead works, to 
serve the living God? 

15 And. therefore, he is the Mediator of the new 
testament ; that by means of his death, for the re- 
demption of those transgressions, which were under 
the former testament, they who are called may receive 
the promise of eternal inheritance. 

Gospel, St. John viii. 46-59. 

46 "Which of you shall convince me of sin ? If I 
say the truth to you, why do you not believe me? 

47 He that is of God, heareth the words of God. 
Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of 
God, 

48 The Jews, therefore, answered, and said to 
him : Do we not say well that thou art a Samaritan, 
and hast a devil? 

49 Jesus answered : I have not a devil : but I 
honor my Father, and you have dishonored me. 

50 But I seek not my own glory : there is one 
that seeketh and judgeth. 

51 Amen, amen I say to you. if any man keep 
my word, he shall not see death forever. 

52 The Jews, therefore, said : Xow we know that 
thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the 
prophets : and thou say est : If any man keep my 
word, he shall not taste death forever. 

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, 
who is dead? and the prophets are dead. Whom 
dost thou make thyself? 

54 Jesus answered : If I glorify myself, my glory 
is nothing : it is my Father that giorifieth me, of 
whom you sav that he is vour God. 

17 



258 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



55 And yon have not known him : but I know 
him : and if I should say that I know him not, I should 
be like to you, a liar. But I know him, and keep his 
word. 

56 Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see 
my day : he saw it. and was glad. 

57 The Jews then said to him : Thou art not yet 
fifty years old ; and hast thou seen Abraham? 

58 Jesus said to them. Amen, amen I say to you, 
before Abraham was made, I am. 

59 Then they took up stones to east at him : but 
Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple. 



PALM SUNDAY. 

Epistle. Philip ii. 5-11. 

FOR let this mind be in you, which was also in 
Christ Jesus : 

6 Who being in the form of God, thought it no 
robbery himself to be equal to God : 

7 But debased himself, taking the form of a ser- 
vant, being made to the likeness of men, and in shape 
found as a man. 

8 He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto 
death, even the death of the cross. 

9 Wherefore God also hath exalted him. and hath 
given him a name which is above every name : 

10 That in the name of Jesus every knee should 
bow of those that are in heaven, on earth, and in 
hell; 

11 And that every tongue should confess that the 
Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xxvi. 2-75 ; xxvii. 1-66. 

2 You know that after two days shall be the pasch ; 
and the Son of man shall be delivered up to be crucified. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS. 



259 



3 Then were gathered together the chief priests, 
and the ancients of the people, into the palace of the 
high-priest, who was called Caiphas : 

4 And the}" consulted together, that b}^ subtilty 
they might apprehend Jesus, and put him to death. 

5 But they said : Not on the festival day, lest 
there should be a tumult among the people. 

G And when Jesus was in Bethania, in the house 
of Simon the leper, 

7 There came to him a woman having an alabaster 
box of precious ointment, and poured it on his head 
as he was at table. 

8 And the disciples seeing it, had indignation, 
saying : To what purpose is this waste ? 

9 For this might have been sold for much, and 
given to the poor. 

10 And Jesus knowing it said to them: Why do 
}^ou trouble this woman ? for she hath wrought a good 
work upon me. 

11 For the poor 3^011 have always with you : but 
me you have not always. 

12 For she in pouring this ointment upon my body, 
hath done it for mv burial. 

13 Amen I say to }^ou, wheresoever this gospel 
shall be preached in the whole world, that also which 
she hath done, shall be told for a memoiy of her. 

14 Then went one of the twelve, who was called 
Judas Iscariot, to the chief priests : 

15 And he said to them : What will you give me, 
and I will deliver him unto you ? But they appointed 
him thirty pieces of silver. 

16 Arid from thenceforth he sought opportunity to 
betray him. 

17 And on the first day of the azymes the disci- 
ples came to Jesus, saying: Where wilt thou that we 
prepare for thee to eat the pasch ? 

18 But Jesus said : Go ye into the city to a certain 



260 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



man, and say to him : The master saith : My time is 
near at hand : I will keep the pasch at thy house with 
my disciples. 

19 And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed 
them: and they prepared the pasch. 

20 Now when it was evening, he sat down with 
his twelve disciples. 

21 And whilst they were eating, he said: Amen I 
say to you. that one of you is about to betray me. 

22 And they, being very much troubled, began 
every one to say: Is it I. Lord? 

23 But he. answering, said: He that dippeth his 
hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. 

24 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written 
of him : but woe to that man by whom the Son of 
man shall be betrayed. It were better for that man 
if he had not been born. 

25 And Judas that betrayed him. answering, said: 
Is it I, Eabbi? He saith to him : Thou hast said it. 

2G And whilst they were at supper. Jesus took 
bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to his dis- 
ciples ; and said: Take ye and eat: This is my body. 

27 And taking the chalice, he gave thanks : and 
gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. 

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, 
which shall be shed for many for the remission of 
sins. 

29 And I say to you : I will not drink from hence- 
forth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I 
shall drink it new with you in the kingdom of my 
Father. 

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they wjent 
out to Mount Olivet. 

31 Then Jesus saith to them: All you shall be 
scandalized in me this night. For it is written : I 
will strike the shepherd ; and the sheep of the flock 
shall be dispersed. . 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 261 



32 But after I shall be risen again, I will go be- 
fore you into Galilee. 

33 And Peter answering, said to him: Though 
>all men shall be scandalized in thee, I will never be 
scandalized. 

34 Jesus said to him: Amen, I say to thee, that 
in this night before the cock crow, thou wilt deny me 
thrice. 

35 Peter saith to him : Though I should die with 
thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner said 
all the disciples. 

36 Then Jesus came with them to a country place 
which is called Gethsemani : and he said to his dis- 
ciples : Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray. 

37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons 
of Zebedee, he began to grow sorrowful and to be 
sad. 

38 Then he saith to them : My soul is sorrowful 
even unto death: stay you here, and watch with me. 

39 And going a little further, he fell upon his face, 
praying, and saying : O my Father, if it is possible, 
let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless, not as 
I will, but as thou wilt. 

40 And he cometh to his disciples, and findeth 
them asleep : and he saith to Peter : What ! could 
you not watch one hour with me ? 

41 AYatch }e, and pray, that ye enter not into 
temptation. The spirit, indeed, is willing, but the 
flesh weak. 

42 Again he went the second time, and prayed, 
saying: O my Father, if this chalice cannot pass 
away except I drink it, thy will be done. 

43 And he cometh again, and findeth them asleep: 
for their eyes were heavy. 

44 And leaving them, he went away again : and 
he prayed the third time, saying the same words. 

45 Then he cometh to his disciples, and saith to 



262 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



tliem: Sleep on now, and take your rest ; behold, the 
hour is at hand : and the Son of man shall be be- 
trayed into the hands of sinners. 

46 Rise, let us go : behold, he is at hand that will 
betra}' me. 

47 As he yet spoke, behold, Judas, one of the 
twelve, came, and with him a great multitude, with 
swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and 
ancients of the people. 

48 And he that betrayed him gave them a sign, 
saying : Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he : hold 
him fast. 

49 And forthwith coming to Jesus, he said : Hail, 
Rabbi. And he kissed him. 

50 And Jesus said to him: Friend, whereto art 
thou come? Then the}' came up, and laid hands on 
Jesus, and held him. 

51 And, behold, one of them that were witli Jesus, 
stretching forth his hand, drew out his sword : and 
striking the servant of the high-priest, cut off his 
ear. 

52 Then Jesus saith to him : Put up again th} T 
sword into its place. For all that take the sword, 
shall perish with the sword. 

53 Thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father, 
and he will give me presently more than twelve le- 
gions of angels ? 

54 How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that 
so it must be done ? 

55 In that same hour Jesus said to the multitudes : 
You are come out as against a robber with swords 
and clubs to apprehend me. I sat daily with you 
teaching in the temple : and 3 011 laid not hands on 
me. 

56 Xow all this was done that the Scriptures of 
the prophets might be fulfilled. Then the disciples 
all leaving him, fled away. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



263 



57 But they holding Jesus, led him to Caiphas the 
high-priest, where the Scribes and the ancients were 
assembled : 

- 58 But Peter followed him afar off. to the high- 
priest's palace. And going in. he sat with the ser- 
vants to see the end. 

59 Now the chief priests and the whole council 
sought false witness against Jesus, that they might 
put him to death : 

60 And they found not. though many false wit- 
nesses had come in. And last of all there came in 
two false witnesses. 

61 And they said: This man said: I am able to 
destroy the temple of God. and in three clays to re- 
build it. 

62 And the high-priest rising up. said to him : 
Answerest thou nothing to the things which these 
witness against thee? 

63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high-priest 
-said to him: I adjure thee by the living God. that 

thou tell us if thou be the Christ the Son of God. 

64 Jesus saith to him: Thou hast said it. Never- 
theless I say to you. Hereafter you shall see the Son 
of man sitting on the right hand of the power of 
God. and coming in the clouds of heaven. 

65 Then the high-priest rent his garments, saying ; 
He hath blasphemed : what further need have we of 
witnesses? Behold, now you have heard the blas- 
phemy. 

66 What think you? But they answering, said: 
He is guilty of death. 

67 Then they did spit in his face, and buffeted 
him : and others struck his face with the palms of 
their hands. 

68 Saying : Prophesy unto us, O Christ : who is 
he that struck thee ? 

69 But Peter sat without hi the palace : and there 



204 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



came to him a servant-maid, saying : Thou also wast 
with Jesus the Galilean. 

70 But he denied before them all, saying : I know 
not what thou say est. 

71 And as he went out of the gate, another maid 
saw him : and she saith to them that were there : This 
man also was with Jesus of Nazareth. 

72 And again he denied with an oath : I do not 
know the man. 

73 And after a little while they that stood by 
came, and said to Peter : Surely thou also art one of 
them : for even thy speech doth discover thee. 

74 Then he began to curse and to swear that he 
knew not the man. And immediately the cock 
crew. 

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus which 
he had said : Before the cock crow, thou wilt deny me 
thrice. And going forth, he wept bitterly. 

1 And when morning was come, all the chief 
priests and ancients of the people held a council 
against Jesus, to put him to death. 

2 And they brought him bound, and delivered him 
to Pontius Pilate the governor. 

3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, seeing that he 
was condemned, repenting himself, brought back the 
thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the an- 
cients, 

4 Saying : I have sinned in betraying innocent 
blood. But they said : What is that to us ? look thou 
to it. 

5 And casting down the pieces of silver in the 
temple, he departed ; and went and hanged himself 
with a halter. 

6 But the chief priest having taken the pieces of 
silver, said : It is not lawful to put them into the 
corbona, because it is the price of blood. 

7 And having consulted together, they bought with 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



265 



them the potter's field, to be a burying-place for 
strangers. 

r 8 Wherefore that field was called Haeeldama, that 
is, The field of blood, even to this day. 

9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by 
Jeremias the prophet, saying : And they took the 
thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was 
valued, whom the} T prized of the children of Israel. 

10 And they gave them unto the potter's field, as 
the Lord appointed to me. 

11 And Jesus stood before the governor. And the 
governor asked him, saying : Art thou the king of the 
Jews? Jesus saithtohim: Thou sa}'est it. 

12 And when he was accused by the chief priests 
and ancients, he answered nothing. 

13 Then Pilate saith to him : Dost not thou hear 
how great testimonies the}' allege against thee ? 

14 And he answered him not to any word : so that 
the governor wondered exceedingly. 

15 Now upon the solemn day the governor was 
accustomed to release to the people one prisoner, 
whom they would. 

16 And he had then a notorious prisoner, that was 
called Barabbas. 

17 They therefore being gathered together, Pilate 
said : Whom will you that I release to you, Barabbas, 
or Jesus, who is called Christ? 

18 For he knew that through envy they had de- 
livered him up. 

19 And as he was sitting on the judgment-seat, 
his wife sent to him, saying : Have thou nothing to 
do with that just man. For I have suffered many 
things this day in a dream on account of him. 

20 But the chief priests and ancients persuaded 
the people, that the}' should ask Barabbas, and make 
Jesus away. 

21 And the governor answering, said to them ; 



266 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Which will you have of the two to be released unto 
you? But they said, Barabbas. 

22 Pilate saith to them : What shall I do, then, 
with Jesus that is called C hrist ? 

23 They all say : Let him be crucified. The gov- 
ernor said to them : Why, what evil hath he done? 
But they cried out the more, saying : Let him be 
crucified. 

24 And Pilate seeing that he prevailed nothing, 
but that rather a tumult was made ; having taken 
water, washed his hands before the people, saying : 
I am innocent of the blood of this just man : look 
you to it. 

25 And all the people answering, said : His blood 
be upon us and upon our children. 

26 Then he released to them Barabbas : and having 
scourged Jesus, delivered him to them to be crucified. 

27 Then the soldiers of the governor taking Jesus 
into the hall, gathered together unto him the whole 
band : 

28 And stripping him, they put a scarlet cloak 
about him. 

29 And platting a crown of thorns, they put it 
upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And 
bowing the knee before him. they mocked him. sav- 
ing : Hail, king of the Jews. 

30 And spitting upon him, they took the reed, and 
struck his head. 

31 And after they had mocked him. they took otf 
the cloak from him. and put on him his own gar- 
ments, and led him away to crucify him. 

32 And going out they found a man of Cjrene, 
named Simon : him they forced to take up his cross. 

33 And they came to the place that is called Gol- 
gotha, which is, the place of Calvary. 

34 And they gave him wine to drink mingled with 
gall. And when he had tasted he would not drink. 



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267 



35 And after they had crucified him. they divided 
his garments, casting lots : that the word might be 
fuhilled. which was spoken by the prophet, saying : 
They divided my garments among them ; and upon 
my vesture they cast lots. 

36 And they sat down and watched him. 

37 And they put over his head his cause written: 
Tins is Jesus, the King of the Jews. 

38 Then were crucified with him two thieves : one 
on the right hand, and the other on the left. 

39 And they that passed by blasphemed him, wag- 
ging their heads, 

40 And saying : Yah. thou who destroyest the tem- 
ple of God. and in three days buildest it up again, 
save thy own self : if thou be the Son of God, come 
down from the cross. 

41 In like manner also the chief priests with the 
Scribes and ancients mocking, said : 

42 He saved others ; himself he cannot save. If 
he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from 
the cross, and we will believe him. 

43 He trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if 
he will have him; for he said: I am the Son of 
God. 

44 And the selfsame thing the thieves also, that 
were crucified with him. reproached him with. 

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness 
over all the earth, until the ninth hour. 

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a 
loud voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lamma sabachthani? 
that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me? 

47 And some of them that stood there and heard, 
said : This man calleth for Elias. 

48 And immediately one of them running, took a 
sponge, and filled it with vinegar ; and put it on a 
reed, and gave him to drink. 



268 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



49 And the others said : Stay ; let us see whether 
Elias will come to deliver him. 

50 And Jesus again crying with a loud voice, 
yielded up the ghost. 

51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent 
in two from the top even to the bottom : and the 
earth quaked, and the rocks were rent. 

52 And the graves were opened : and many bodies 
of the saints that had slept, arose ; 

53 And coming out of the tombs after his resur- 
rection, came into the holy city, and appeared to 
many. 

54 Now the centurion, and they that were with 
him watching Jesus, having seen the earthquake, and 
the things that were done, were greatly afraid, say- 
ing : Indeed this was the Son of God. 

55 And there were there many women afar off, 
who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering 
unto him : 

56 Among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of 
the sons of Zebedee. 

57 And when it was evening, there came a certain 
rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also him- 
self was a disciple of Jesus. 

58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of 
Jesus. Then Pilate commanded that the bod}* should 
be delivered. 

59 And Joseph taking the bod}', wrapped it up in 
a clean linen cloth ; 

60 And laid it in his own new monument, which 
he had hewed out in a rock. And he rolled a great 
stone to the door of the monument, and went his 
way : 

61 And there was Mary Magdalene and the other 
Mary sitting over against the sepulchre. 

62 And the next da}*, which followed the day of 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



269 



the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees 
came together to Pilate, 

63 'Saying: Sir, we have remembered that that 
seducer said, while he was yet alive : After three days 
I will rise again. 

64 Command, therefore, the sepulchre to be guarded 
until the third day ; lest his disciples come and steal 
him away, and say to the people : He is risen from 
the dead ; so the last error shall be worse than the 
first. 

65 Pilate said to them : You have a guard ; go, 
guard it as you know. 

66 And they departing, made the sepulchre sure, 
with guards, sealing the stone. 

MAUNDY THURSDAY. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians xi. 20-32. 

WHEN you come together, therefore, into one 
place, it is not now to eat the Lord's supper. 

21 For every one taketh before his own supper 
to eat. And one, indeed, is hungry and another is 
drunk. 

22 What, have you not houses to eat and to drink 
in? Or despise ye the church of God, and put them 
to shame that have not ? What shall I say to you ? 
Do I praise you? In this I praise you not. 

23 For I have received of the Lord that which 
also I delivered to 3-011, that the Lord Jesus, the night 
in which he was betrayed, took bread, 

24 And giving thanks, broke, and said : Take 3-e, 
and eat : this is my body which shall be delivered for 
you : do this for the commemoration of me. 

25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had 
supped, saying : This chalice is the new testament in 
my blood: this do ye, as often as you shall drink it, 
for the commemoration of me. 



270 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and 
drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the 
Lord, until he come. 

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or 
drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be 
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 

28 But let a man prove himself : and so let him 
eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. 

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, 
eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discern- 
ing the body of the Lord. 

30 Therefore are there many infirm and weak 
among you. and many sleep. 

31 But if we would judge ourselves, we should not 
be judged. 

32 But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by 
the Lord: that we may not be damned with this 
world. 

Gospel. St. John xiii. 1—15. 

1 Before the festival day of the pasch. Jesus 
knowing that his hour was come that lie should pass 
out of this world to the Father, haying loved his 
own who were in the world, he loved them to the 
end. 

2 And when supper was done, the devil having 
now put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon the 
Iscariot, to betray him : 

3 Knowing that the Father had given him all 
things into his hands, and that he came from God, 
and goeth to God : 

4 He riseth from supper, and layeth aside his 
garments : and having taken a towel, he girded 
himself. 

5 After that, he poureth water into a basin, and 
began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe 
them with a towel wherewith he was girded. 



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271 



6 He cometh, therefore, to Simon Peter. And 
Peter saith to him : Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 

7, Jesus answered, and said to him: What I do. 
thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know here- 
after. 

8 Peter saith to him : Thou shalt never wash my 
feet. Jesus answered him: If I wash thee not. thou 
shalt have no part with me. 

9 Simon Peter saith to him : Lord, not only my 
feet, but also my hands and my head. 

10 Jesus saith to him : He that is washed, needeth 
not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And 
you are clean, but not all. 

11 For he knew who he was that would betray 
him : therefore he said : You are not all clean. 

12 Then after he had washed their feet, and taken 
his garments, having sat down again, he said to 
them : Know you what I have done to you ? 

13 You call me Master, and Lord: and you say 
well : for so I am. 

14 If I, then, being Lord and Master, have washed 
your feet : you also ought to wash one another's feet. 

15 For I have given you an example, that as I 
have done to you, so you do also. 



GOOD FRIDAY. 

Lesson. Exodus xii. 1-11. 




XD the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the 
. land of Egypt : 



2 This month shall be to you the beginning of 
months : it shall be the first in the months of the 
year. 

3 Speak ye to the whole assembly of the children 
of Israel, and say to them : On the tenth day of this 
month let every man take a lamb by their families 
and houses. 



272 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



4 But if the number be less than may suffice to 
eat the lamb, he shall take unto him his neighbor 
that joineth to his house, according to the number of 
souls which may be enough to eat the lamb. 

5 And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a male, 
of one 3 ear: according to which rite also you shall 
take a kid. 

6 And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day 
of this month : and the whole multitude of the children 
of Israel shall sacrifice it in the evening. 

7 And they shall take of the blood thereof, and 
put it upon both the side-posts, and on the upper 
door-posts of the houses wherein they shall eat it. 

8 And the}' shall eat the flesh that night roasted 
at the fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce. 

9 You shall not eat thereof anything raw, nor 
boiled in water, but only roasted at the fire : you shall 
eat the head with the feet and entrails thereof. 

10 Neither shall there remain anything of it until 
morning. If there be anything left, you shall burn 
it with fire. 

1 1 And thus you shall eat it : you shall gird your 
reins, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding 
staves in your hands ; and you shall eat in haste : for 
it is the Phase (that is, the Passage) of the Lord. 

Gospel. St. John xviii. 1-40; xix. 1-42. 

1 When Jesus had said these things, he went forth 
with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where there 
was a garden, into which he entered with his disciples. 

2 Now Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the 
place : because Jesus had often resorted thither to- 
gether with his disciples. 

3 Judas, therefore, having received a band of 
men, and servants, from the chief priests and the 
Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches 
and weapons. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



273 



4 Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that were 
to come upon him, went forward, and said to them: 
"Whom seek ye ? 

5 They answered him : Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus 
saith to them : I am he. And Judas, also, who be- 
trayecl him, stood with them. 

6 As soon then as he had said to them : I am he : 
they went backward, and fell to the ground. 

7 Again therefore he asked them : Whom seek 
ye? And they said: Jesus of Nazareth. 

8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he : 
if, therefore, you seek me. let these go their way : 

9 That the word might be fulfilled which he said : 
Of them whom thou hast given me, I have not lost 
any one. 

10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it ; 
and struck the servant of the high-priest ; and cut 
off his right ear. And the name of the servant was 
Malchus. 

1 1 Then Jesus said to Peter : Put up thy sword 
into the scabbard. The chalice which my Father 
hath given me, shall I not drink it? 

12 Then the band, and the tribune, and the ser- 
vants of the Jews, took Jesus, and bound him : 

13 And they led him away to Annas first ; for he 
was father-in-law to Caiphas, who was the high-priest 
of that year. 

14 Now Caiphas was he who had given the coun- 
sel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man 
should die for the people. 

15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus : and so did 
another disciple. And that disciple was known to the 
high-priest, and went in with Jesus into the court of 
the high-priest. 

16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then the 
other disciple who was known to the high-priest, went 
out, and spoke to the portress, and brought in Peter. 

18 



274 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



1 7 And the maid that was portress said to Peter : 
Art not thou also one of this man's disciples ? He 
saith : I am not. 

18 Now the servants and officers stood at a fire of 
coals, because it was cold, and warmed themselves: 
and with them was Peter also standing, and warmed 
himself. 

1 9 The high-priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, 
and of his doctrine. 

20 Jesns answered him : I have spoken openly to 
the world : I have always taught in the synag< gue, 
and in the temple, whither all the Jews resort : and in 
private I have spoken nothing. 

21 Wiry askest thou me? ask them who have heard 
what I have spoken to them : behold, the}' know what 
things I have said. 

22 And when he had said these things, one of the 
officers standing by gave Jesus a blow, saying: An- 
swerest thou the high-priest so ? 

23 Jesus answered him : If I have spoken ill, give 
testimony of the evil : but if well, why strikest thou 
me? 

24 And Annas sent him bound to Caiphas the 
high-priest. 

25 And Simon Peter was standing, and warming 
himself. The}' said, therefore, to him : Art not thou 
also one of his disciples ? He denied it, and said : I 
am not. 

26 One of the servants of the high-priest, a kins- 
man to him whose ear Peter cut off. saith to him :-Did 
not I see thee in the garden with him? 

2 7 Then Peter again denied : and immediately the 
cock crew. 

28 Then they led Jesus from Caiphas to the gov- 
ernor's hall. And it was morning : and they went 
not into the hall, that they might not be defiled, but 
that they might eat the pasch. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND II OL YD AYS. 



275 



29^ Pilate, therefore, went out to them, and said : 
What accusation bring you against this man ? 

30 The}' answered, and said to him : If he were 
not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up 
to thee. 

31 Pilate then said to them : Take him you, and 
judge him according to your law. The Jews there- 
fore said to him : It is not lawful for us to put any 
one to death : 

32 That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which 
he said, signifying what death he should die. 

33 Pilate, therefore, went into the hall again, and 
called Jesus, and said to him : Art thou the king of 
the Jews ? 

34 Jesus answered : Sa}'est thou this thing of thy- 
self, or have others told it thee of me ? 

35 Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thy nation 
and the chief priests have delivered thee up to me : 
what hast thou done ? 

36 Jesus answered : My kingdom is not of this 
world. If my kingdom were of this world, my ser- 
vants would certainly strive that I should not be de- 
livered to the Jews : but now my kingdom is not from 
hence. 

37 Pilate, therefore, said to him: Art thou a king, 
then ? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. 
For this was I born, and for this came I into the world ; 
that I should give testimony to the truth : even' one 
that is of the truth heareth my voice. 

38 Pilate saith to him : AVhat is truth ? And when 
he had said this, he went forth again to the Jews, and 
saith to them : I find no cause in Mm. 

39 But you have a custom that I should release 
one unto you at the pasch : will you. therefore, that 
I release unto you the king of the Jews ? 

40 Then they all cried again, saying : Xot this 
man, but Barabbas. And Barabbas was a robber. 



27G 



THE EPISTLES AXD GOSPELS, 



1 Then, therefore. Pilate took Jesus, and scourged 
him . 

2 And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, put 
it upon his head : and about him the}' put a purple 
garment. 

3 And they came to him, and said : Hail, king of 
the Jews : and they gave him blows. 

4 Pilate, therefore', went forth again, and saith to 
them : Behold, I bring him forth to you, that you may 
know that I find no cause in him. 

5 (So Jesus came forth, bearing the crown of 
thorns, and the purple garment.) And he saith to 
them : Behold the man. 

G When the chief priests, therefore, and the officers 
had seen him. they cried out. saying : Crucify him, 
crucify him. Pilate saith to them : Take him you, 
and crucify him : tor I find no cause in him. 

7 The Jews answered him : We have a law ; and 
according to the law he ought to die ; because he made 
himself the Son of God. 

8 When Pilate, therefore, had heard this saying, 
he feared the more. 

9 And he entered into the hall again : and he said 
to Jesus: Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no 
answer. 

10 Pilate therefore saith to him : Speakest thou 
not to me ? knowest thou not that I have power to 
crucify thee, and I have power to release thee? 

11 Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any 
power against me, unless it were given thee from 
above. Therefore, he that hath delivered me to thee 
hath the greater sin. 

12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release 
him, But the Jews cried out, saying : If thou release 
this man. thou art not Caesar's friend : for whosoever 
maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar. 

13 Xow when Pilate had heard these words, he 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



277 



brought Jesus forth ; and sat clown in the judgment- 
seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in 
Hebrew Gabbatha. 

14 And it was the parasceve of the paseh. about 
the sixth hour : and he saith to the Jews : Behold your 
king. 

15 But they cried out : Away with him. away with 
him ; crucify him. Pilate saith to them : Shall I cru- 
cify your king ? The chief priests answered : We have 
no king but Caesar. 

16 Then, therefore, he delivered him to them to be 
crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him forth. 

17 And bearing his own cross, he went forth to 
that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew 
Golgotha : 

18 Where they crucified him ; and with him two 
others, one on each side, and Jesus in the midst. 

19 And Pilate wrote a title also: and he put it 
upon the cross. And the writing was, Jesus of 
Nazareth, the King of the Jeavs. 

20 This title, therefore, many of the Jews read : 
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near 
to the city : and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, 
and in Latin. 

21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate : 
Write not, the king of the Jews ; but that he said, I 
am the king of the Jews. 

22 Pilate answered : What I have written, I have 
written. 

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified him, 
took his garments (and they made four parts, to every 
soldier a part) and also his coat. Now the coat was 
without seam, woven from the top throughout. 

24 They said then one to another : Let us not cut 
it ; but let us cast lots for it whose it shall be ; that 
the Scripture might be fulfilled, saying : The}' have 
parted my garments among them ; and upon my vest- 



278 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



ure they have cast lot. And the soldiers, indeed, did 
these things. 

25 Xow there stood by the cross of Jesus, his 
mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, 
and Mary Magdalene. 

26 When Jesus, therefore, saw his mother and the 
disciple standing, whom he loved, he saith to his 
mother: Woman, behold thy son. 

27 After that, he saith to the disciple : Behold tin- 
mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to 
his own. 

28 Afterwards Jesus, knowing that all tilings were 
now accomplished, that the Scripture might be ful- 
filled, said : I thirst. 

29 Xow there was a vessel set there, full of vinegar. 
And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar about In s- 
sop, offered it to his mouth. 

30 When Jesus, therefore, had taken the vinegar, 
he said : It is consummated. And bowing his head, 
he gave up the ghost. 

31 Then the Jews, (because it was the parasceve) 
that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on 
the Sabbath day (for that was a great Sabbath day), 
besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and 
that they might be taken away. 

32 The soldiers, therefore, came : and they broke 
the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified 
with him. 

33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he 
was already dead, they did not break his legs. 

34 But one of the soldiers opened his side with a 
spear : and immediately there came out blood and 
water. 

35 And he that saw it. gave testimony : and his 
testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith 
true ; that you also may believe. 

36 For these things were done, that the Scripture 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 279 

might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of 
him. 

37 And again another Scripture saith : The}' shall 
look on him whom they pierced. 

38 And after these things Joseph of Arimathea 
(because he was a disciple of Jesus, but in private, 
for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might 
take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted 
him. He came, therefore, and took away the body 
of Jesus. 

39 And Nicodemus also came : he who at first 
came to Jesus by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh 
and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 

40 They took, therefore, the body of Jesus, and 
bound it in linen-cloths with the spices, as it is the 
custom with the Jews to bury. 

41 And there was, in the place where he was 
crucified, a garden: and in the garden a new sep- 
ulchre, wherein no man had yet been laid. 

42 There, therefore, by reason of the paraseeve of 
the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the sepulchre was 
nigh at hand. 



HOLY SATURDAY. 

Epistle. Colossians iii. 1-4. 

THEREFORE, if you be risen with Christ, seek 
the things that are above ; where Christ is sit- 
ting at the right hand of God : 

2 Mind the things that are above, not the things 
that are on the earth. 

3 For you are dead : and your life is hidden with 
Christ in God. 

4 When Christ shall appear, who is your life ; then 
shall you also appear with him in glory. 



280 



THE EPISTLES AXD GOSPELS, 



Gospel. St. Matthew xxviii. 1-7. 

1 And in the end of the Sabbath, when it began to 
dawn towards the first day of the week, came Man- 
Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. 

2 And. behold, there was a great earthquake. For 
an angel of the Lord descended from heaven : and 
coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. 

3 And his countenance was as lightning, and his 
raiment as snow. 

4 And for fear of him. the guards were struck with 
terror, and became as dead men. 

5 And the angel answering said to the women : 
Fear not you : for I know that you seek Jesus who 
was crucified. 

6 He is not here : for he has risen, as he said. 
Come and see the place where the Lord was laid. 

7 And. going quickly, tell ye his disciples that 
he is risen : and. behold, he will go before you into 
Galilee : there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold 
it to you. 

ST. PATRICK. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xxv. 14-23. 

FOR even as a man going into a far country, called 
his servants, and delivered to them his goods. 

15 And to one he gave live talents, and to another 
two. and to another one. to every one according to 
his proper ability : and immediately he took his jour- 
ney. 

16 And he that had received the five talents, went 
his way. and traded with the same, and gained other 
five. 

17 And in like manner he that had received the 
two. gained other two. 



FOR SUNDAYS AXD HOLYDAYS. 



281 



18 But he that had received the one. going his 
way, digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 

19 But after a long time the lord of those servants 
came, and reckoned with them. 

20 And he that had received the five talents, com- 
ing, brought other five talents, saving : Lord, thou 
deliveredst to me five talents : behold. I have gained 
other five over and above. 

21 His lord said to him : Well done, thou good and 
faithful servant ; because thou hast been faithful over 
a few things. I will set thee over many things : enter 
thou into the joy of thy lord. 

22 And he also that had received the two talents, 
came and said : Lord, thou deliveredst two talents to 
me : behold. I have gained other two. 

23 His lord said to him : Well done, good and 
faithful servant ; because thou hast been faithful over 
a few things. I will set thee over many things: enter 
thou into the joy of thy lord. 



Lesson. Ecclesiasticus xlv. 1-6. 
OSES was beloved of God and men ; whose 



2 He made him like the saints in glory, and mag- 
nified him in the fear of his enemies : and with his 
words he made prodigies to cease. 

3 He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave 
him commandments in the sight of his people, and 
showed him his glory. 

4 He sanctified him in his faith and meekness, and 
chose him out of all flesh. 

5 For he heard him, and his voice, and brought 
him into a cloud. 

6 And he gave him commandments before his face, 
and a law of life and instruction. 



ST. JOSEPH. 




memorv is in benediction. 



282 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Gospel. St. Matthew i. 18-21. 

18 When Mary his Mother was espoused to Joseph, 
before the}' came together, she was found with child 
of the Holy Ghost : 

19 Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just 
man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was 
minded to put her away privately. 

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, 
the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, 
saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto 
thee Mary thy wife : for that which is conceived in 
her is of the Holy Ghost. 

21 And she shall bring forth a son : and thou shalt 
call his name Jesus : for he shall save his people from 
their sins. 

ANNUNCIATION. 

Lesson. Isaias vii. 10-15. 

AND the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying : 
11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either 
unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above. 

12 And Achaz said : I will not ask : and I will not 
tempt the Lord. 

13 And he said : Hear ye therefore, O house of 
David : Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to 
men, that you are grievous to my God also ? 

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a 
sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a 
son ; and his name shall be called Emmanuel. 

15 He shall eat butter and honey, that he may 
know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good. 

Gospel. St. Luke i. 26-38. 

26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was 
sent from God into a city of Galilee called Nazareth, 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



283 



27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was 
Joseph, of the house of David : and the name of the 
virgin was Mar v. 

28 And the angel being come in. said to her : Hail, 
full of grace, the Lord is with thee : Blessed art thou 
among women. 

29 And when she had heard, she was troubled at 
his saving, and thought with herself what manner 
of salutation this should be. 

30 And the angel said to her : Fear not, Mary ; for 
thou hast found grace with God : 

31 Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and 
shalt bring forth a Son ; and thou shalt call his name 
Jesus. 

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son 
of the most High : and the Lord God shall give unto 
him the throne of DaAud his father : and he shall reign 
in the house of Jacob forever. 

33 And of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

34 And Mary said to the angel : How shall this be 
done, because I know not man? 

35 And the angel answering, said to her : The 
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee ; and the power of 
the most High shall overshadow thee. And there- 
fore also the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall 
be called the Son of God. 

36 And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth, she hath 
also conceived a son in her old age : and this is the 
sixth month with her that is called barren : 

37 Because no word shall be impossible with God. 

38 And Mary said : Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord : be it done to me according to thy word. 



284 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



EASTER SUNDAY. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians v. 7, 8. 

PURGE out the old leaven, that von may he a new 
mass, as yon are unleavened. For Christ, our 
pasch, is sacrificed. 

8 Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, 
nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but 
with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

Gospel. St. Mark xvi. 1-7. 

1 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James 
and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming they 
might anoint Jesus. 

2 And very early in the morning the first day of 
the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being 
now risen. 

3 And they said one to another : Who shall roll ns 
back the stone from the door of the sepulchre ? 

4 And looking, the}' saw the stone rolled back. 
For it was very great. 

5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a 
young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a 
white robe ; and they were astonished. 

6 And he saith to them : Be not affrighted ; you seek 
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified : he is risen ; 
he is not here ; behold the place where they laid 
him. 

7 But go tell his disciples, and Peter, that he goeth 
before you into Galilee : there you shall see him, as 
he told you. 



FOB SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS 



285 



EASTER MONDAY. 

Lesson. Acts x. 37-43. 

YOU know the word which hath been published 
through all Judea : for it began from Galilee, 
after the baptism which John preached. 

38 Jesus of Nazareth : how God anointed him 
with the Holy Ghost, and with power, who went about 
doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by 
the devil, for God was with him. 

30 And we are witnesses of all things which he 
did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom 
they killed, hanging him upon a tree. 

40 Him God raised up the third day. and gave him 
to he made manifest. 

41 Not to all the people, but to witnesses preor- 
dained of God. even to us. who ate and drank with 
him after he rose again from the dead. 

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, 
and to testily that it is he who hath been appointed 
by G od to be the judge of the living and of the dead. 

43 To him all the prophets give testimony, that 
through his name all receive remission of sins, who 
believe in him. 

Gospel. St. Luke xxiv. 13-35. 

13 And behold, two of them went that same day 
to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, 
named Emma us. 

14 And they talked together of all these things 
which had happened. 

15 And it came to pass. that, while they talked 
and reasoned with one another. Jesus himself also 
drew near, and went with them. 

16 But their eyes were held, that they should not 
know him. 



286 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. 



17 And he said to them: What are these discourses 
that you hold one with another as you walk, and 

are sad? 

18 And the one. whose name was Cleophas. 
answering, said to him : Art thou alone a stranger in 
Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have 
been done there in these days? 

19 And he said to them: What things? And they 
said : Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a 
prophet, mighty in work and word, before God and 
all the people ; 

20 And how our chief priests and rulers delivered 
him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 

21 But we hoped that it was he who should have 
redeemed Israel : and now. besides all this, to-day is 
the third day since these things were done. 

22 Yea. and certain women also of our company 
affrighted us, who, before it was light, were at the 
sepulchre : 

23 And. not finding his body. came, saying, that 
they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that 
he is alive. 

24 And some of our people went to the sepulchre : 
and found it so as the women had said: but him they 
found not. 

25 Then he said to them : O foolish, and slow of 
heart to believe in all the things which the prophets 
have spoken ! 

2(3 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, 
and so to enter into his glory ? 

27 And beginning from Moses, and all the prophets, 
he expounded to them, in all the Scriptures, the things 
that were concerning him. 

28 And they drew nigh to the town whither they 
were going : and he made as though he would go 
farther. 

29 But they constrained him. saying: Stay with 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 287 

us, because it is towards evening ; and the day is now 
far spent. And he went in with them. 

30 And it came to pass, whilst he was at table 
with them, he took bread, and blessed, and brake, 
and gave to them. 

31 And their eyes were opened ; and they knew 
him: and he vanished out of their sight. 

32 And they said one to the other : Was not our 
heart burning within us, whilst he w^as speaking in 
the way, and opened to us the Scriptures? 

33 And they rose up at the same hour, and went 
back to Jerusalem : and they found the eleven gathered 
together, and those that were with them, 

34 Saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath 
appeared to Simon. 

35 And they told what things were done in the way ; 
and how they knew him in the breaking of bread. 

EASTER TUESDAY. 

Lesson. Acts xiii. 26-33. 

MEN brethren, sons of the race of Abraham, and 
whosoever among you fear God, to you the 
word of this salvation is sent. 

27 For they who inhabited Jerusalem, and the 
rulers thereof not knowing him, nor the voices of the 
prophets, which are read eA^eiy Sabbath, judging him 
have fulfilled them. 

28 And finding no cause of death in him, they 
petitioned of Pilate that they might put him to 
death. 

29 And when they had fulfilled all things that 
w r ere written of him, taking him down from the tree, 
the} T laid him in a sepulchre. 

30 But God raised him up from the dead the third 
day: who was seen for many days by those, 

31 Who went up together with him from Galilee to 



288 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Jerusalem : who to this present time are witnesses of 
him to the people. 

32 And we declare to }^ou that the promise which 
was made to our fathers, 

33 This same hath God fulfilled to our children, 
raising up Jesus again. 

Gospel. St. Luke xxiv. 36-47. 

36 Jesus stood in the midst of them, and saith to 
them : Peace be to you ; it is I, fear not. 

37 But they being troubled and atfrighted, supposed 
that they saw a spirit. 

38 And he said to them : Why are you troubled, 
and why do thoughts arise in your hearts ? 

39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: 
feel, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, 
as you see me to have. 

40 And when he had said this, he showed them his 
hands and his feet. 

41 But while they yet believed not. and wondered 
for joy, he said : Have you here anything to eat ? 

42 And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish, 
and a honey-comb. 

43 And when he had eaten before them, taking the 
remains, he gave to them. 

44 And he said to them : These are the words which 
I spoke to 3'ou while I was yet with you, that all 
things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in 
the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the 
psalms, concerning me. 

45 Then he opened their understanding, that the}' 
might understand the Scriptures. 

46 And he said to them: Thus it is written, and 
thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise again 
from the dead the third day : 

47 And that penance and remission of sins should 
be preached in his name among all nations. 



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289 



LOW SUNDAY. 

Epistle. 1 St. John v. 4-10. 

FOR whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the 
world : and this is the victory which overcometh 
the world, our faith. 

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he 
that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? 

6 This is he that came by water and blood. Jesus 
Christ ; not in water only, but in water and blood. 
And it is the Spirit that testifieth, that Christ is the 
truth. 

7 For there are three that give testimony in heaven ; 
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these 
three are one. 

8 And there are three that give testimony on 
earth ; the spirit, the water, and the blood : and 
these three are one. 

9 If we receive the testimony of men. the testi- 
mony of God is greater : for this is the testimony of 
God, which is greater, because he hath testified of his 
Son. 

10 He that believeth in the Son of God, hath the 
testimony of God in himself. 

Gospel. St. John xx. 19-31. 

19 Now when it was late that same day. being the 
first day of the week, and the doors were shut, where 
the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the 
Jews, Jesus came, and stood in the midst, and said 
to them : Peace be to }'ou. 

20 And when he had said this, he showed them his 
hands and his side. The disciples, therefore, were 
glad when they saw the Lord. 

21 And he said to them again: Peace be to you. 
As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. 

19 



290 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



22 "When he had said this, he breathed on them ; 
and he said to them : Receive ye the Holy Ghost : 

23 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven 
them : and whose you shall retain, they are retained. 

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called 
Didymus. was not with them when Jesus came. 

25 The other disciples, therefore, said to him : We 
have seen the Lord. But he said to them : Unless 
I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put 
my finger into the place of the nails, and put my 
hand into his side, I will not believe. 

2C> And after eight days, his disciples were again 
within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the 
doors being shut, and stood in the midst ; and said: 
Peace be to you. 

27 Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger 
hither, and see my hands, and bring hither thy hand, 
and put it into my side: and be not incredulous, but 
faithful. 

28 Thomas answered, and said to him : My Lord, 
and my God. 

29 Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, 
Thomas, thou hast believed : blessed are the}' that 
have not seen, and have believed. 

30 Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of 
his disciples, which are not written in this book. 

31 But these are written, that you may believe that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believ- 
ing, you may have life in his name. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

Epistle. 1 St. Peter ii. 21-25. 

FOR unto this you have been called : because 
Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an 
example, that you should follow his steps ; 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



291 



22 \Yho did no sin, neither was guile found in his 
mouth ; 

23 Who, when he was reviled, did not revile : 
when he suffered, he threatened not ; but delivered 
himself to him that judged him unjustly : 

24 \Vho his own self bore our sins in his body 
upon the tree ; that we, being dead to sins, should 
live to justice; by whose stripes you were healed. 

25 For you were as sheep going astray: but you 
are now converted to the pastor and bishop of your 
souls. 

Gospel. St. John x. 11-1G. 

Ill am the good shepherd. The good shepherd 
giveth his life for his sheep : 

12 But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, 
whose own sheep they are not, seeth the wolf coming, 
and leaveth the sheep and flieth : and the wolf 
snatcheth and scattereth the sheep. 

13 And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling : 
and he hath no care for the sheep. 

14 I am the good shepherd ; and I know mine, 
and mine know me ; 

15 As the Father knoweth me, and I know the 
Father : and I lay down my life for my sheep. 

16 And other sheep I haA'e, that are not of this 
fold : them also I must bring ; and they shall hear 
my voice : and there shall be made one ibid and one 
shepherd. 



292 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

Enistle, 1 St. Peter ii. 11-18. 

DEARLY beloved. I beseech you. as strangers and 
pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal de- 
sires, which war against the soul, 

12 Having your conversation good among the Gen- 
tiles ; that whereas they speak against you as evil- 
doers, considering you by your good works, the}' may 
glorify God in the day of visitation. 

lo Be ye subject, therefore, to every human crea- 
ture, for God's sake ; whether it be to the king, as 
excelling ; 

14 Or to governors, as sent by him for the punish- 
ment of evil-doers, and for the praise of the good : 

15 For so is the will of God. that by doing well, 
you may silence the ignorance of foolish men : 

16 As free, and not as making liberty a cloak of 
malice, but as the servants of God. . 

1 7 Honor all men : love the brotherhood : fear 
God : honor the king : 

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all 
fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the 
fro ward. 

Gospel. St. John xvi. 16-22. 

16 A little while, and now you shall not see me : 
and again a little while, and you shall see me : be- 
cause I go to the Father. 

17 Then some of his disciples said one to another: 
What is this that he saith to us : A little while, and 
you shall not see me : and again a little while, and 
you shall see me : and because I go to the Father ? 

18 They said, therefore : What is this that he 
saith, A little while ? we know not what he speaketh. 

19 And Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask 
him : and he said to them : Of this do you inquire 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



293 



among yourselves, because I said : A little wiiile, and 
you shall not see me : and again a little while, and 
you shall see me. 

20 Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament 
and weep ; but the world shall rejoice : and you shall 
be sorrowful ; but your sorrow shall be turned into 
joy. 

21 A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, 
because her hour is come : but when she hath brought 
forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, 
for joy that a man is born into the world. 

22 So also you now, indeed, have sorrow, but I 
will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice : and 
your joy no man shall take from you. 

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

Epistle. St. James i. 17-21. 

EVERY best gift, and every perfect gift, is from 
above, coming down from the Father of lights, 
with whom there is no change, nor shadow of vicis- 
situde. 

18 For of his own will hath he begotten us by the 
word of truth, that we might be some beginning of 
his creatures. 

19 You know, my clearest brethren: and let every 
man be swift to hear ; but slow to speak, and slow to 
anger. 

20 For the anger of man worketh not the justice 
of God. 

21 Wherefore, casting away all uncleanness, and 
abundance of malice, with meekness receive the in- 
grafted word, which is able to save your souls. 

Gospel. St. John xvi. 5-14. 

5 But I told you not these things from the begin- 
ning, because I was with you : and now I go to him 



294 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



that sent me : and none of yon asketh me : Whither 
goest thou ? 

6 But because I have spoken these things to you. 
sorrow hath filled your heart. 

7 But I tell you the truth : it is expedient for you 
that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come 
to you : but if I go. I will send him to you. 

8 And when he shall come, he will convince the 
world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. 

9 Of sin indeed ; because they have not believed 
in me. 

10 And of justice : because I go to the Father: 
and you shall see me no longer : 

11 And of judgment ; because the prince of this 
world is already judged. 

12 1 have yet many things to say to you : but you 
cannot bear them now. 

13 But when he. the Spirit of truth, shall come, 
he will teach you all truth ; for he shall not speak of 
himself: but what things soever he shall hear, he 
shall speak : and the things that are to come, he will 
show you. 

14 He shall glorify me : because he shall receive 
of mine, and will declare it to you. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. 

Epistle. St. James i. 22-27. 

BUT be ye doers of the word, and not hearers 
only, deceiving your own selves. 

23 For if a man be a hearer of the word, arid not 
a doer ; he shall be compared to a man beholding his 
natural countenance in a glass : 

24 For he beheld himself, and went his way, and 
presently forgot what manner of man he was. 

25 But he that hath looked into the perfect law of 
liberty, and hath continued in it, not becoming a for- 



FOE SUNDAYS AXD HOI. YD AYS 



295 



getful hearer, but a doer of the work ; this man shall 
be blessed in his deed. 

26 And if any man think himself to he religion.-, 
not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, 
this man's religion is vain. 

27 Religion pure and unspotted with God and the 
Father is this : To visit the fatherless and widows in 
their tribulation, and to keep one's self undefiled from 
this world. 

Gospel. St. John xvi. 22-30. 

22 So also yon now. indeed, have sorrow, but I 
will see von again, and your heart shall rejoice : and 
your joy no man shall take from you. 

23 And in that day you shall not ask me anything. 
Amen, amen I say to you : If you ask the Father 
anything in my name, he will give it you. 

24 Hitherto you have not asked anything in my 
name. Ask, and you shall receive ; that your joy 
may be full. 

25 These things have I spoken to you in proverbs. 
The hour cometh when I will no more speak to you in 
proverbs, but will show you plainly of the Father. 

26 In that day you shall ask in my name : and I 
say not to you. that I will ask the Father for you : 

27 For the Father himself loveth you ; because you 
have loved me. and have believed that I came forth 
from God. 

28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into 
the world : again I leave the world, and I go to the 
Father. 

29 His disciples say to him: Behold, now thou 
speakest plainly, and speakest no proverb. 

30 Xow we know that thou knowest all things, and 
that for thee it is not needful that any man ask thee : 
in this we believe that thou earnest forth from God. 



296 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



ASCENSION. 

Lesson. Acts i. 1-11. 

THE former treatise I have made. O Theophilus, 
of all things which Jesus began to do and to 

teach. 

2 Until the day on which, giving commands by the 
Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he 
was taken up : 

3 To whom also he showed himself alive, after his 
passion, by many proofs ; for forty days appearing 
to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God. 

4 And eating with them, he commanded them that 
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should 
wait for the promise of the Father, which you have 
heard (saith he) by my mouth. 

5 For John indeed baptized with water : but you 
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days 
hence. 

6 They, therefore, who were come together, asked 
him, saying : Lord, wilt thou at this time restore 
again the kingdom to I>rael ? 

7 But he said to them : It is not for you to know 
the times or moments, which the Father hath put in 
his own power. 

8 But you shall receive the power of the Holy 
Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses 
unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea. and Samaria, 
and even to the uttermost part of the earth. 

9 And when he had said these things, while they 
looked on, he was raised up : and a cloud received 
him out of their sight. 

10 And whilst they were beholding him going up 
to heaven, behold, two men stood by them, in white 
garments, 

11 Who also said : Ye men of Galilee, why 
stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who is 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



297 



taken up from you into heaven, so shall he come as 
you have seen him going into heaven. 

Gospel. St. Mark xvi. 14-20. 

14 At length he appeared to the eleven as they 
were at table : and he upbraided them with their in- 
credulity and hardness of heart ; because the}' did not 
believe them who had seen him after he was risen 
again. 

15 And he said to them : Go ye into the whole 
world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 

16 He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: 
but he that believeth not, shall be condemned. 

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe : 
In my name they shall cast out devils : they shall 
speak with new tongues : 

18 They shall take up serpents: and if they shall 
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them : they 
shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall 
recover. 

19 And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to 
them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the 
right hand of God. 

20 But they going forth preached everywhere ; the 
Lord cooperating with them, and confirming the word 
with signs that followed. 



SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION. 

Epistle. 1 St. Peter iv. 7-11. 

BE prudent, therefore, and watch in pra}^ers. 
8 But before all things haA^e a mutual charity 
among yourselves : for charity covereth a multitude 
of sins. 

9 Using hospitality towards one another without 
murmuring. 

10 As every man hath received grace, ministering 



298 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



the same one to another, as good stewards of the 
manifold grace of God. 

11 If an}' man speak, let him speak as the words 
of God : if any man minister, let it be as from the 
power which God administered! : that in all things 
God may be honored through Jesus Christ. 

Gospel. St. John xv. 2G, 27 ; xvi. 1-4. 

26 But when the Paraclete shall come, whom I 
will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, 
who proceedeth from the Father, he shall give testi- 
mony of me : 

27 And 3'ou shall give testimoiry, because you are 
with me from the beginning. 

1 These things have I spoken to you, that you may 
not be scandalized. 

2 They will put you out of the synagogues : yea, 
the hour cometh. that whosoever killeth you, will 
think that he doeth a service to God. 

3 And these things will they do to you, because 
the} T have not known the Father, nor me. 

4 But these things I have told you ; that when the 
hour of them shall come, you may remember that 
I told you. 

WHIT-SUNDAY, OH PEXTECOST. 

Lesson. Acts h. 1-11. 

AND when the days of the Pentecost were ac- 
complished, the}^ were all together in the same 

place : 

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, 
as of a mighty wind coming : and it filled the whole 
house where the} T were sitting. 

3 And there appeared to them cloven tongues as 
it were of fire : and it sat upon each of them : 

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost : 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDATS. 



299 



and they began to speak with clivers tongues, accord- 
ing as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. 

5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, 
devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 

6 And when this voice was made, the multitude came 
together, and was confounded in mind, because that 
every one heard them speaking in his own tongue. 

7 And they were all amazed, and wondered, sa}'- 
ing : Behold, are not all these who speak, Galileans? 

8 And how have we every one heard our own 
tongue wherein we were born? 

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and in- 
habitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Gappadocia, 
Pontus, and Asia, 

10 Phrygia. and Paraphilia, Egypt, and the parts 
of LhVva about Gyrene, and strangers of Rome, 

11 Jews also, and proselytes, Cretes and Ara- 
bians : we have heard them speak in our own tongues 
the wonderful works of God. 

Gospel. St. John xiv. 23-31. 

23 Jesus answered, and said to him : If airy one 
love me, he will keep my word ; and my Father will 
love him, and we will come to him, and will make an 
abode with him : 

24 He that loveth me not, keepeth not my words. 
And the word which }'ou have heard is not mine ; but 
the Father's who sent me. 

25 These things have I spoken to you, remaining 
with you. 

26 But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the 
Father will send in my name, he will teach you all 
things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever 
I shall have said to you. 

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to 



300 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



you : not as the world giveth, do I give to you. Let 
not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. 

28 You have heard that I said to you : I go away, 
and I come again to you. If you loved me, you 
would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: 
fox the Father is greater than I. 

29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, 
that when it shall come to pass, you may believe. 

30 Now I will not speak many things with you. 
For the prince of this world cometh ; and in me he 
hath not anything. 

31 But that the world may know that I love the 
Father, and as the Father hath given me command- 
ment, so I do. 

WHIT-MONDAY. 

Lesson. Acts x. 42-48. 

AND he commanded us to preach to the people, 
and to testify that it is he who hath been 
appointed by God to be the judge of the living and 
of the dead. 

43 To him all the prophets give testimony, that 
through his name all receive remission of sins, who 
believe in him. 

44 While Peter was yet speaking these words, the 
Holy Ghost fell upon all them that were hearing the 
word. 

45 And the faithful of the circumcision, who had 
come with Peter, were astonished because the grace 
of the Holy Ghost was also poured out upon the 
Gentiles. 

46 For they heard them speaking with tongues, 
and magnifying God. 

47 Then Peter answered : Can any man forbid 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



301 



water, that these should not be baptized, who have 
received the Holy Ghost as well as we ? 

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Gospel, St. John hi. 16-21. 

16 For God so loved the world, as to give his onry- 
begotten Son ; that whosoever believeth in him may 
not perish, but may have life everlasting. 

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to 
judge the world, but that the world may be saved 
by him. 

18 He that believeth in him is not judged : but he 
that doth not believe is already judged : because he 
believeth not in the name of the onlv-begotten Son 
of God. 

19 And this is the judgment : because the light is 
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather 
than the light : for their works were evil. 

20 For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, 
and cometh not to the light, that his works may not 
be reproved. 

21 But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, 
that his works may be made manifest, because they 
are done in God. 

WHIT-TUESDAY. 

Lesson, Acts viii. 14-17. 

NOW when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, 
had heard that Samaria had received the word 
of God, they sent to them Peter and John : 

15 ^Who, when they were come, prayed for them, 
that the}' might receive the Holy Ghost : 

16 For he was not yet come upon any one of them : 
but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus. 



302 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



1 7 Then they laid their hands upon them ; and 
they received the Holy Ghost. 

Gospel. St. John x. 1-10. 

1 Amen, amen I say to you : He that entereth 
not by the door into the sheepfold, but elimbeth up 
another way, the same is a thief and a robber. 

2 But he that entereth in by the door, is the shep- 
herd of the sheep : 

3 To whom the porter openeth ; and the sheep 
hear his voice ; and he ealleth his own sheep by 
name, and leadeth them out. 

4 And when he hath let out his own sheep, he 
goeth before them : and the sheep follow him, be- 
cause they know his voice. 

5 But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him ; 
because they know not the voice of strangers. 

6 This parable Jesus spoke to them. But they 
understood not what he was speaking to them. 

7 Jesus, therefore, said to them again : Amen, 
amen I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 

8 All they who came are thieves and robbers : and 
the sheep heard them not. 

9 I am the door. If any one enter by me, he shall 
be saved, and he shall go in, and go out, and shall 
find pastures. 

10 The thief cometh not but to steal, and to kill, 
and to destroy. I am come that the}' ma}' have life, 
and may have it more abundantly. 

TRINITY SUNDAY. 

Ejnstle. Romans xi. 33-36. 

OTHE depth of the riches, of the wisdom and of 
the knowledge of God ! How incomprehensible 
are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways ! 



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303 



34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? Or 
who hath been his counsellor? 

35 Or who hath first given to him, and recompense 
shall be made him? 

36 For of him, and by him, and in him are all 
things: to him be glory forever. Amen. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xxviii. 18-20. 

18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying : All 
power is given to me in heaven and in earth. 

19 Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations ; baptiz- 
ing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. 

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever 
I have commanded you ; and, behold, I am with } T ou 
all days, even to the consummation of the world. 



CORPUS CIIRISTI. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians xi. 23-29. 

FOR I have received of the Lord that which also I 
delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, the night 
in which he was betrayed, took bread, 

24 And giving thanks, broke, and said : Take ye, 
and eat : this is my body which shall be delivered for 
3^ou : do this for the commemoration of me. 

25 In like manner also the chalice, after he had 
supped, saying : This chalice is the new testament in 
my blood : this do ye, as often as you shall drink it, 
for the commemoration of me. 

26 For as often as 3^011 shall eat this bread, and 
drink this chalice, 3^011 shall show the death of the 
Lord, until lie come. 

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or 
drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be 
guihy of the boclv and blood of the Lord. 



304 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



28 But let a man prove himself : and so let him eat 
of that bread, and drink of the chalice. 

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eat- 
eth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning 
the body of the Lord. 

Gospel. vSt. John vi. 5G-59. 

56 For my flesh is meat indeed : and my blood is 
drink indeed. 

57 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, 
abideth in me, and I in him. 

58 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live 
by the Father ; so he that eateth me, the same also 
shall live by. me. 

59 This is the bread that came down from heaven. 
Not as your fathers did eat manna, and died. He 
that eateth this bread, shall live forever. 

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 St. John hi. 13-18. 

WONDER not, brethren, if the world hate you. 
14 We know that we have passed from death 
to life : because we love the brethren. He that loveth 
not abideth in death : 

15 Whosoever hateth his brother, is a murderer. 
And you know that no murderer hath eternal life 
abiding in himself. 

1G In this we have known the charity of God. be- 
cause he hath laid down his life for us : and we ought 
to lay down our lives for the brethren. 

17 He that hath the substance of this world, and 
shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his 
bowels from him ; how doth the charity of God abide 
in him ? 

18 My little children, let us not love in word, nor 
in tongue, but in deed, and in truth. 



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305 



Gospel. St, Luke xiv. 16-24. 

16 But he said to him : A certain man made a great 
supper, and invited many. 

17 And he sent his servant at supper time to say 
to them that were invited, that they should come, for 
now all things are ready. 

18 And they began all at once to make excuse. 
The first said to him : I have bought a farm, and I 
must needs go out and see it : I pray thee, have me 
excused. 

19 And another said : I have bought five yoke of 
oxen, and I go to try them : I pray thee, have me 
excused. 

20 And another said : I have married a wife, and 
therefore I cannot come. 

21 And the servant returning told these things to 
his lord. Then the master of the house being angry, 
said to his servant : Go out quickly into the streets 
and lanes of the city : and bring in hither the poor, 
and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame. 

22 And the servant said : Lord, it is done as thou 
hast commanded, and yet there is room. 

23 And the lord said to the servant : Go out into 
the highways and hedges : and compel them to come 
in, that my house ma3 r be filled. 

24 But I say to you, that none of those men that 
were called shall taste my supper. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 St. Peter v. 6-11. 

BE xow humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand 
of God ; that he may exalt you in the time of 
visitation : 

20 



306 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



7 Casting all your solicitude upon him ; for he hath 
care of .you. 

8 Be sober, and watch : because your adversary 
the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking 
whom he may devour : 

9 AVhom resist ye, strong in faitli ; knowing that 
the same affliction befallcth your brethren who are in 
the world. 

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called, us 
unto his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, when you have 
suffered a little, will himself perfect, and confirm, and 
establish you. 

11 To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 
Amen. 

Gospel. St. Luke xv. 1-10. 

1 Now the publicans and sinners drew near unto 
him, to hear him. 

2 And the Pharisees and the Scribes murmured, 
saying : This man receiveth sinners, and eatetli with 
them. 

3 And he spoke to them this parable, saying: 

4 What man among you, that hath a hundred sheep ; 
and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the 
ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was 
lost until he find it? 

5 And when he hath found it, doth he not la}' it 
upon his shoulders, rejoicing ; 

6 And, coming home, call together his friends and 
neighbors, saying to them : Rejoice with me because 
I have found my sheep that was lost ? 

7 I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in 
heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than 
upon ninety-nine just, who need not penance. 

8 Or what woman, having ten groats, if she lose 
one groat, doth not light a candle, and sweep the 
house, and seek diligently till she find it ? 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



307 



9 And when she hath found it, call together her 
friends and neighbors, saying : Rejoice with me, be- 
cause I have found the groat which I had lost. 

10 So, I say to }^ou, there shall be joy before the 
angels of God upon one sinner doing penance. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle, Romans viii. 18-23. 

FOR I reckon that the sufferings of this present 
time are not worthy to be compared with the 
glory to come, that shall be revealed in us. 

19 For the expectation of the creature waiteth for 
the revelation of the sons of Gocl. 

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, 
not willingly, but b}^ reason of him that made it sub- 
ject in hope : 

21 Because the creature also itself shall be delivered 
from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of 
the gloiy of the children of God. 

22 For we know that every creature groaneth, and 
is in labor even till now. 

23 And not only it, but ourselves also, who have 
the first-fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan 
within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons 
of God, the redemption of our body. 

Gospel. St. Luke v. 1-11. 

1 And it came to pass that, when the multitudes 
pressed upon him, to hear the word of God, he stood 
by the lake of Genesareth. 

2 And he saw two ships standing by the lake : but 
the fishermen were gone out of them, and were wash- 
ing their nets. 

3 And going up into one of the ships, that was 



308 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Simon's, he desired him to thrust out a little from the 
land. And, sitting down, he taught the multitudes 
out of the ship. 

4 Now when he had eeased to speak, he said to 
Simon : Launch out into the deep, and let down your 
nets for a draught. 

5 And Simon answering, said to him : Master, we 
have labored all the night, and have taken nothing: 
but at thy word I will let down the net. 

6 And when they had done this they enclosed a very 
great multitude of fishes, and their net was breaking. 

7 And they beckoned to their partners that were 
in the other ship, that they should come and help 
them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so 
that they were almost sinking. 

8 Which when Simon Peter saw. he fell down at 
Jesus's knees, saying : Depart from me ; for I am a 
sinful man, O Lord. 

9 For he was wholly astonished, and all that were 
with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had 
taken : 

10 And so were also James and John, the sons of 
Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. And Jesus 
saith to Simon : Fear not : from henceforth thou shalt 
be taking men. 

11 And when the}' had brought their ships to land, 
leaving all things, the}' followed him. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 St, Peter hi. 8-15. 

AND finally, be ye all of one mind, having com- 
passion one of another, loving brotherhood, 
merciful, modest, humble : 

9 Not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for rail- 
ing, but on the contrary, blessing : for unto this are 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



309 



you called, that by inheritance you may possess a 
blessing. 

10 For he that will love life, and see good'days, let 
him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they 
speak no guile. 

1 1 Let him decline from evil, and do good : let him 
seek peace, and pursue it : 

12 Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, 
and his ears unto their prayers : but the countenance 
of the Lord against them that do evil things. 

13 And who is he that can hurt you, if }^ou be zeal- 
ous of good ? 

14 But if also you suffer anything for justice' sake, 
blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their terror, and 
be not troubled. 

15 But sanctity the Lord Christ in your heart. 

Gospel. St. Matthew v. 20-24. 

20 For I say to }~ou, that unless your justice abound 
more than that of the Scribes and of the Pharisees, you 
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

21 You have heard that it was said to them of old : 
Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall 
be guilty of the judgment : 

22 But I say to 3*011, that whosoever is angiy with 
his brother, shall be guilty of the judgment. And 
whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be 
guilty of the council. And whosoever shall say, 
Thou fool, shall be guilty of hell-fire. 

23 Therefore, if thou orferest thy gift at the altar, 
and there shalt remember that thy brother hath any- 
thing against thee ; 

24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and first 
go to be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
offer thy gift. 



310 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Romans vi. 3-11. 

KNOW you not that all we. who are baptized in 
Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death? 

4 For we are buried together with him by baptism 
unto death : That as Christ is risen from the dead by 
the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in new- 
ness of life. 

5 For if we haYe been planted together in the like- 
ness of his death, in like manner we shall be of his 
resurrection. 

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with 
him, that the bod}^ of sin may be destined, and that 
we may serve sin no longer. 

7 For he that is dead, is justified from sin. 

8 Now if we be dead with C hrist, we belieYe that 
we shall live also together with Christ : 

9 Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, 
dieth now no more, death shall no more haYe dominion 
over him. 

10 For in that he died to sin, he died once : but 
in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 

11 So do } t ou also reckon yourselves to be dead 
indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our 
Lord. 

Gospel. St. Mark viii. 1-9. 

1 In those days again, when there was a great 
multitude, and had nothing to eat ; calling his dis- 
ciples together, he saith to them : 

2 I have compassion on the multitude : for, be- 
hold, they have now been with me three days, and 
have nothing to eat : 

3 And if I send them away fasting to their own 
houses, they will faint in the way : for some of them 
came from afar off. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



311 



4 And his disciples answered him : From whence 
can any one satisfy them here with bread in the wil- 
derness ? 

5 And he asked them : How many loaves have ye ? 
And they said : Seven. 

6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the 
ground : and taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, 
he broke, and gave to his disciples to set before them ; 
and the}' set them before the people. 

7 And they had a few little fishes : and he blessed 
them, and commanded them to be set before them. 

8 And they did eat, and were filled : and they 
took up that which was left of the fragments, seven 
baskets. 

9 And they that had eaten were about four thou- 
sand : and he sent them away. 

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Romans vi. 19-23. 

T SPEAK a human thing, because of the infirmity 
JL of your flesh : for as you have yielded your mem- 
bers to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity ; 
so now yield your members to serve justice, unto 
sanctification. 

20 For when }^ou were the. servants of sin, you 
were free from justice. 

21 What fruit, therefore, had you then in those 
things of which you are now ashamed ? For the end 
of them is death. 

22 But now being made free from sin, and become 
servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctifi- 
cation, and the end everlasting life. 

23 For the wages of sin is death. But the grace 
of God, everlasting life, in Christ Jesus our Lord. 



312 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



Gospel. St. Matthew vii. 15-21. 

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in 
the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravenous 
wolves. 

16 By their fruits you shall know them. Do men 
gather grapes of thorns, or tigs of thistles? 

17 Even so every good tree yieldeth good fruit, 
and the bad tree yieldeth bad fruit. 

18 A good tree cannot yield bad fruit ; neither can 
a bad tree yield good fruit. 

19. Every tree that yieldeth not good fruit, shall 
be cut down, and shall be cast into the tire. 

20 Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them. 

21 Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven : but he that 
doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven, he 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Romans viii. 12-17. 

THEREFORE, brethren, we are debtors, not to 
the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 

13 For if you live according to the flesh, you shall 
die : but if by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the 
flesh, you shall live. 

14 For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, the}' 
are the sons of God. 

15 For you have not received the spirit of bondage 
again in fear : but you have received the spirit of 
adoption of sons, whereb}' we cry : Abba, (Father.) 

1G For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our 
spirit, that we are the sons of God. 

17 And if sons, heirs also: heirs indeed of God, 
and joint-heirs with Christ. 



FOU SUNDAYS AXD HOLYDAYS. 



313 



Gospel. St. Luke xvi. 1-9. 

1 And he said also to his disciples : There was a 
certain rich man who had a steward : and the same 
was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 

2 And he called him, and said to him : What is 
this I hear of thee? give an account of thy steward- 
ship : for now thou canst not be steward. 

3 And the steward said within himself : What shall 
I do, for my lord taketh away from me the steward- 
ship? To dig I am not able : to beg I am ashamed. 

4- I know what I will do. that when I shall be put 
out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their 
houses. 

5 Therefore, calling together every one of his lord's 
debtors, he said to the first : How much dost thou 
owe my lord ? 

6 But he said : A hundred barrels of oil. And he 
said to him : Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and 
write fifty. 

7 Then he said to another : And how much dost 
thou owe? Who said : A hundred quarters of wheat. 
He said to him : Take thy bill, and write eighty. 

8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, 
forasmuch as he had done wisely : for the children of 
this world are wiser in their generation than the chil- 
dren of light. 

9 And I say to you : Make to yourselves friends 
of the mammon of iniquity : that when you shall fail, 
thev mav receive vou into everlasting dwellings. 

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians x. 6-13. 

WE should not covet evil things, as they also 
coveted. 

7 Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them ; 



314 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



as it is written : The people sat down to eat and 
drink, and rose up to play. 

8 Neither let us commit fornication ; as some of 
them committed fornication, and there fell in one day 
three and twenty thousand. 

9 Neither let us tempt Christ ; as some of them 
tempted, and perished by serpents. 

10 Neither do you murmur ; as some of them mur- 
mured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 

11 Now all these tilings happened to them in 
figure : and they are written for our correction, 
upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

12 Wherefore, let him that thinketh himself to 
stand, take heed lest he fall. 

13 Let no temptation take hold on you. but such 
as is human : and God is faithful, who will not suffer 
you to he tempted above that which you are able; 
but will make also with temptation issue, that you 
may be able to bear it. 

Gospel. St. Luke xix. 41-47. 

41 And when he drew near, seeing the city, he 
wept over it, saying : 

42 If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy 
day. the things that are for thy peace : but now they 
are hidden from thy eyes. 

43 For the days shall come upon thee : and thy 
enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass 
thee round, and straiten thee on every side, 

44 And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy chil- 
dren who are in thee : and they shall not leave in 
thee a stone upon a stone : because thou hast not 
known the time of thy visitation. 

45 And entering into the temple, he began to 
east them out that sold therein, and them that 
bought, 

46 Saying to them: It is written : My house is 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



315 



the house of prayer. But }~ou have made it a den of 
thieves. 

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. 



TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians xii. 2-11. 

YOU know that, when you were heathens, you 
went to dumb idols, according as you were led. 

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no 
man, speaking by the Spirit of God, saith anathema 
to Jesus. And no man can say, the Lord Jesus, but 
b}' the Holy Ghost. 

4 Now there are diversities of graces, but the same 
Spirit : 

5 And there are diversities of ministries, but the 
same Lord. 

c ) And there are diversities of operations, but the 
same God, who worketh all in all. 

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to 
every man unto profit. 

8 To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word 
of wisdom ; and to another, the word of knowledge, 
according to the same Spirit ; 

9 To another, faith in the same Spirit : to another, 
the grace of healing in one Spirit : 

10 To another, the working of miracles : to another, 
prophecy : to another, the discerning of spirits : to 
another, divers kinds of tongues : to another, inter- 
pretation of speeches. 

11 But all these things one and the same Spirit 
worketh, dividing to every one according as he will. 

Gospel. St. Luke xviii. 9-14. 

9 He spoke also this parable to some who trusted 
in themselves as just, and despised others : 



316 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



10 Two men went up into the temple to pray : the 
one a Pharisee, and the other a publican : 

11 The Pharisee standing*, prayed thus with him- 
self: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the 
rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, nor such 
as this publican. 

12 I fast twice in the week: I give tithes of all 
that I possess. 

13 And the publican, standing afar off. would not 
so much as lift his eyes towards heaven : but struck 
his breast, saying : O God, be merciful to me a sinner. 

14 1 say to you, this man went down to his house 
justified rather than the other: because every one 
that exalteth himself, shall be humbled ; and he that 
humbleth himself, shall be exalted. 

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AETER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians xv. 1-10. 

NOTT I make known unto you, brethren, the gos- 
pel which I preached to you, which also you 
have received, and wherein you stand : 

2 By which also you are saved : if you hold fast 
after what manner I preached to you, unless you have 
believed in vain. 

3 For I delivered to you first of all, which I also 
received : how that Christ died for our sins, accord- 
ing to the Scriptures : 

4 And that he was buried ; and that he rose again 
the third day, according to the Scriptures : 

5 And that he was seen by Cephas, and after that 
Iry the eleven. 

6 Then was he seen by more than fh'e hundred 
brethren at once : of whom many remain unto this 
present : and some have fallen asleep. 

7 After that, he was seen by James, then by all the 
apostles : 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



317 



8 And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by 
one born out of due time. 

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not 
worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted 
the church of God. 

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am : and 
his grace in me hath not been void. 

Gospel. St. Mark vii. 31-37. 

31 And again going out of the borders of Tyre, 
he came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the 
midst of the territories of Decapolis. 

32 And they bring to him one that was deaf and 
dumb : and they besought him to lay his hand upon him. 

33 And taking him aside from the multitude, he 
put his ringers into his ears ; and spitting, he touched 
his tongue ; 

34 And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said 
to him : Ephpheta, that is, Be opened. 

35 And immediately his ears were opened : and the 
string of his tongue was loosed ; and he spoke right. 

36 And he charged them that the}' should tell no 
man. But the more he charged them, so much the 
more a great deal did they publish it. 

37 And so much the more did they wonder, say- 
ing : He hath done all things well : he hath made both 
the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. 

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

Lesson. Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 11-20. 

IN all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the 
inheritance of the Lord. 

12 Then the Creator of all things commanded, and 
said to me : and he that made me, rested in my taber- 
nacle. 

13 And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be hi 



318 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. 



Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in 
my elect. 

14 From the beginning, and before the world, was 
I created ; and unto the world to come I shall not 
cease to be : and in the holy dwelling-place I have 
ministered before him. 

15 And so was I established in Sion, and in the 
holy city likewise I rested : and my power was in 
Jerusalem. 

16 And I took root in an honorable people, and in 
the portion of my God his inheritance : and my abode 
is in the full assembly of saints. 

17 1 was exalted like a cedar in Libanus. and as a 
cypress-tree on Mount Sion. 

18 I was exalted like a palm-tree in Cades, and as 
a rose-plant in Jericho : 

19 As a fair olive-tree in the plains, and as a plane- 
tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted. 

20 I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon, and aro- 
matical balm : I yielded a sweet odor like the best 
myrrh. 

GosjyeL St. Luke x. 38-42. 

38 Xow it came to pass, as they went, that he en- 
tered into a certain town: and a certain woman, 
named Martha, received him into her house : 

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sitting 
also at the Lord's feet, heard his word. 

40 But Martha was busy about much serving : who 
stood, and said : Lord, hast thou no care that my 
sister hath left me alone to serve ? speak to her, 
therefore, that she help me. 

41 And the Lord answering, said to her : Martha. 
Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many 
things. 

42 But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen 
the best part, which shall not be taken away from her. 



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319 



TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 2 Corinthians iii. 4-9. 
ND such confidence we have, through Christ, 



5 Not that we are sufficient to think anything of 
ourselves, as of ourselves : but our sufficiency is from 



6 Who also hath made us fit ministers of the new 
testament ; not in the letter, but in the Spirit : for the 
letter killeth ; but the Spirit giveth life. 

7 Xow if the ministration of death, engraven with 
letters upon stones, was glorious, so that the children 
of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of 
Moses for the glory of his countenance, which is 
done away : 

8 How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be 
rather in glory ? 

9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glo- 
ry, much more the ministration of justice aboundeth 
in glory. 



23 And turning to his disciples, he said : Blessed 
are the eyes that see the things which 3^011 see. 

24 For I sa}^ to you that many prophets and kings 
have desired to see the things that }'ou see, and have 
not seen them ; and to hear the things that you hear, 
and have not heard them. 

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, tempt- 
ing him, and saying: Master, what must 1 do to 
possess eternal life? 

26 But he said to him : What is written in the law? 
how readest thou? 

27 He answering, said : Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole 




God : 



Gospel. St. Luke x. 23-37. 



320 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind ; 
and thy neighbor as thyself. 

28 And he said to him : Thou hast answered right : 
This do, and thou shalt live. 

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus: 
And who is my neighbor ? 

30 And Jesus answering, said : A certain man went 
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among rob- 
bers, who also stripped him. and having wounded him, 
went away, leaving him half dead. 

31 And it happened that a certain priest went down 
the same way : and seeing him,, he passed by. 

32 In like manner, also, a Levite, when he was 
near the place, and saw him, passed hy. 

33 But a certain Samaritan, being on his journey, 
came near him : and seeing him, was moved with 
compassion ; 

34 And going up to him, bound up his wounds, 
pouring in oil and wine ; and setting him upon his 
ow r n beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of 
him. 

35 And the next day he took out two pence, and 
gave them to the host, and said : Take care of him ; 
and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I 
at my return will repay thee. 

36 Which of these three, in thy opinion, w r as 
neighbor to him that fell among the robbers ? 

37 But he said: He that showed mercy to him. 
And Jesus said to him: Go, and do thou in like 
manner. 



FOE, SUNDAYS AND HO L YD AYS. 



321 



THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Galatians iii. 16-22. 

TO Abraham were the promises made, and to his 
seed. He saith not : And to his seeds, as of 
many : but as of one : and to thy seed, who is Christ. 

17 Now this I say, that the testament which was 
confirmed by God, the law which was made after four 
hundred and thirty years, doth not disannul, to make 
the promise of no effect. 

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more 
of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise. 

1 9 Why then was the law ? It was set because of 
transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom he 
made the promise, being ordained by angels in the 
hand of a mediator. 

20 Now a mediator is not of one : but God is one. 

21 Was the law, then, against the promises of God ? 
God forbid. For if there had been a law given, which 
could give life, verity justice should have been by the 
law. 

22 But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, 
that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be 
given to them that believe. 

Gospel. St. Luke xvii. 11-19. 

11 And it came to pass, as he was going to Jerusa- 
lem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria in 
Galilee. 

12 And as he entered into a certain town, there met 
him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off : 

13 And they lifted up their voice, saying: Jesus, 
master, have mercy on us. 

14 And when he saw them, he said : Go, show 
yourselves to the priests. And it came to pass, that, 
as they went, they were cleansed. 

21 



322 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



15 And one of them, when he saw that he was 
cleansed, went back, with a loud voice glorifying God. 

16 And he fell on his face before his feet, giving 
thanks : And this man was a Samaritan. 

17 And Jesus answering said : Were there not ten 
made clean? and where are the nine? 

18 There is no one found to return, and give glory 
to God, but this stranger. 

19 And he said to him : Arise, go thy way: for thy 
faith hath made thee whole. 



FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Galatians v. 16-24. 

I SAY then : Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not 
fulfil the lusts of the flesh. 

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit^ and the 
Spirit against the flesh ; for these are contrary one 
to another : so that you do not the things that }*ou 
would. 

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not 
under the law. 

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest ; which 
are, fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, 

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, enmities, contentions, em- 
ulations, wrath, quarrels, dissensions, sects, 

21 Envy, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and 
such like : of the which I foretell you as I have fore- 
told to yon, that they who do such things shall not 
obtain the kingdom of God. 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, 
patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, 

23 Mildness, faith, modesty, contiuency, chastity. 
Against such there is no law. 

24: And they who are Christ's have crucified their 
flesh, with the vices and concupiscences. 



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323 



Gospel. St. Matthew vi. 24-33. 

24 No man can serve two masters, for either he 
will hate the one, and love the other : or he will hold 
to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve 
God and Mammon. 

25 Therefore I say to you, Be not solicitous for 
your life, what you shall eat, nor for your bocty, what 
you shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, 
and the body more than the raiment ? 

2G Behold the fowls of the air, for the}' sow not, 
neither do the}' reap, nor gather into barns : vet your 
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you of much 
more value than they ? 

27 And which of you, by thinking, can add to his 
stature one cubit? 

28 And for raiment why are you solicitous ? Con- 
sider the lilies of the field, how they grow : they labor 
not, neither do they spin ; 

29 And yet I say to you, that not even Solomon, 
in all his gloiy, was arrayed as one of these. 

30 Now, if God so clothe the grass of the field, 
which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven ; 
how much more you, O ye of little faith? 

31 Be not solicitous, therefore, saying : What shall 
we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we 
be clothed? 

32 For after all these things do the heathen seek. 
For your Father knoweth that you have need of all 
these things. 

33 Seek ye, therefore, first the kingdom of God, 
and his justice ; and all these things shall be added 
unto you. 



324 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS; 



FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Galatians v. 25. 2G ; vL 1-10. 

IF we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the 
Spirit. 

26 Let us not become desirous of vainglory, pro- 
voking one another, envying one another. 

1 Brethren, and if a man be overtaken in any fault, 
you who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit 
of mildness, considering thyself, lest thou also be 
tempted. 

2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so shall 30U 
fulfil the law of Christ. 

3 For if any man think himself to be something, 
whereas he is nothing, he deeeiveth himself. 

4 But let every one prove his own work : and so he 
shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. 

5 For every one shall bear his own burden. 

G And let him who is instructed in the word com- 
municate to him who instructeth him. in all good things. 

7 Be not deceived : God is not mocked : 

8 For what tilings a man shall sow. those also shall 
he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh 
also shall reap corruption : "but he that soweth in the 
Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap life everlasting. 

9 And in doing good let us not fail : for in due 
time we shall reap, not failing. 

10 Therefore, whilst we have time, let us do good 
to all men. but especially to those who are of the 
household of the faith. 

Gospel St. Luke vii. 11-16. 

11 And it came to pass, after this, that he went 
into a city called Nairn : and there went with him his 
disciples, and a great multitude. 

12 And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, 
behold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOI* YD ATS 



325 



his mother : and she was a widow : and much people 
of the city was with her. 

13 And when the Lord saw her. he had compassion 
on her. and said to her : Weep not. 

Id And he came near and touched the bier. (And 
they that carried it stood still.) And he said : Young 
man. I say to thee, arise. 

15 And he that was dead sat up. and began to speak. 
And he delivered him to his mother. 

16 And there came a fear on them all : and they 
glorified God, saying : That a great prophet is risen 
up among us : and God hath visited his people. 

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle, Ephesians hi. 13-21. 

WHEREFORE I beseech you not to be disheart- 
ened at my tribulations for you. which is your 

glory. 

14 For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, 

15 Of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is 
named. 

16 That he would grant you. according to the riches 
of his glory, to be strengthened with power by his Spirit 
unto the inward man : 

17 That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts : 
that, being rooted and founded in charity. 

18 You may be able to comprehend, with all the 
saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, 
and depth : 

19 To know also the charity of Christ, which sur- 
passeth knowledge, that you may be filled unto all 
the fulness of God. 

20 Xow to him. who is able to do all things more 
abundantly than we ask or understand, according to 
the power which worketh in us ; 



326 



THE EPISTLES AXD GOSPELS, 



21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ 
Jesus, throughout all generations, world without end. 
Ainen. 

Gospel. St. Luke xiv. 1-11. 

1 And it came to pass, when Jesus went into the 
house of a certain prince of the Pharisees on the Sab- 
bath day to eat bread, and they were watching him : 

2 And behold, there was a certain man before him 
that had the dropsy. 

3 And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and 
Pharisees, saying : Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath 
day ? 

4 But they held their peace. But he taking him, 
healed him. and sent him away. 

5 And answering them, he said : Which of you 
whose ass or his ox shall fall into a pit, and will not 
immediately draw him out on the Sabbath day? 

6 And they could not answer him to these things. 

7 And he spoke a parable also to them that were 
invited, marking how they chose the first seats at the 
table, saying to them : 

8 When thou art invited to a wedding, sit not down 
in the highest place, lest perhaps one more honorable 
than thou be invited by him : 

9 And he who invited thee and him. come and say 
to thee : Give place to this man : and then thou begin 
with blushing to take the lowest place. 

10 But when thou art invited, go. sit' down in the 
lowest place : that when he who invited thee cometh, 
he may say to thee : Friend, go up higher. Then 
shaft thou have glory before them that sit at table 
with thee. 

11 Because every one that exalteth himself, shall 
be humbled : and he that humbleth himself, shall be 
exalted, 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



327 



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Ephesians iv. 1-6. 

I THEREFORE, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech 
you that you walk worth}' of the vocation in which 
you are called. 

2 With all humility and mildness, with patience, 
supporting one another in charity, 

3 Careful to keep the unit}' of the Spirit in the 
bond of peace. 

4 One bod}', and one Spirit ; as you are called in 
one hope of your vocation. 

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, 
and through all, and in us all. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xxii. 35-46. 

35 And one of them, a doctor of the law, asked 
him, tempting him : 

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the 
law ? 

37 Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole 
soul, and with thy whole mind. 

38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 

39 And the second is like to this : Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself. 

40 On these two commandments dependeth the 
whole law and the prophets. 

41 And the Pharisees being gathered together, 
Jesus asked them, 

42 Saying : What think yon of Christ? whose Son 
is he? They say to him : David's. 

43 He saith to them : Flow then doth David in 
spirit call him Lord, saying : 



328 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. 



44 The Lord said to my Lord : Sit on my right 
hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool? 

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his Son? 

46 And no man was able to answer him a word : 
neither durst any man from that da}' forth ask him 
any more questions. 



EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians i. 4-9. 

I GIVE thanks to my God always for yon for 
the grace of God, that is given you in Christ 
Jesns : 

5 That in all things yon are made rich in him. in 
every word, and in all knowledge : 

6 As the testimony of Christ was confirmed in yon : 

7 So that nothing is wanting to yon in any grace, 
waiting for the manifestation of our Lord Jesns 
Christ; 

8 Who also will confirm yon unto the end. without 
crime, in the day of the coming of our Lord Jesns 
Christ, 

9 God is faithful; by whom yon are called unto 
the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Gospel. St. Matthew ix. 1-8. 

1 And entering into a ship, he passed over the 
water, and came into his own city. 

2 And behold, they brought to him a man sick of 
the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their 
faith, said to the man sick of the palsy : Son, be of 
good heart, thy sins are forgiven thee. 

3 And behold, some of the Scribes said within 
themselves : This man blasphemeth. 

4 And Jesus, seeing their thoughts, said: Why do 
you think evil in your hearts ? 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS. 



329 



5 Which is easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven 
thee: or to say. Rise up, and walk? 

6 But. that you may know that the' Son of man 
hath power on earth to forgive sins, then, saith he to 
the man sick of the pals} T : Rise up, take thy bed, 
and go into thy house. 

7 And he rose up, and went into his house. 

8 And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified 
God, who had given such power to men. 



NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



AND be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, 
24 And put on the new man, who, accord- 
ing to God, is created in justice, and holiness of 
truth. 

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak ye the 
truth every man with his neighbor : for we are mem- 
bers one of another. 

26 Be angry, and sin not : let not the sun go down 
upon your anger. 

27 Give not place to the devil. 

28 Let him that stole, steal now no more : but rather 
let him labor, working with his hands that which is 
good, that he may have to give to him who is in need. 



1 And Jesus answered, and spoke to them again in 
parables, saying : 

2 The kingdom of heaven is like to a man being a 
king, who made a marriage for his son. 

3 And he sent his servants to call them that were 
invited to the marriage : and they would not come. 

4 Again he sent other servants, saying : Tell them 
that were invited : Behold, I have prepared my dinner : 



Epistle. Ephesians iv. 23-28. 




GospeL St. Matthew xxii. 1-14. 



330 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. 



my beeves and fallings are killed, and all things are 
read}' : come ye to the wedding. 

5 But the}' neglected, and went their ways, one to 
his farm, and another to his merchandise. 

6 And the rest laid hands on his servants, and 
having treated them contumeliously, put them to 
death. 

7 But when the king heard of it. he was angry, 
and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, 
and burnt their city. 

8 Then he saith to his servants : The wedding, 
indeed, is read}' : but they that were invited were 
not worthy. 

9 Go ye, therefore, into the highways, and as many 
as you shall find, invite to the wedding . 

10 And his servants going out into the highways, 
gathered together all that they found, both bad and 
good : and the wedding was rilled with guests. 

11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he 
saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment. 

12 And he saith to him : Friend, how earnest thou 
in hither, not having a wedding-garment? But he 
was silent. 

13 Then the king said to the waiters : Having 
bound his hands and feet, cast him into the exterior 
darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth. 

14 For many are called, but few are chosen. 



TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 



SEE therefore, brethren, how you walk circum- 
spectly : not as unwise, 
16 But as wise ; redeeming the time: for the clays 
are evil. - 



Epistle. Ephesians v. 15-21. 




FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



331 



17 Wherefore become not unwise, but understand- 
ing what is the will of God. 

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury ; 
but be ye filled with the Holy Spirit ; 

19 Speaking to } T ourselyes in psalms and hymns, 
and spiritual canticles, singing, and making melodj' 
in your hearts to the Lord, 

20 Giying thanks alwaj^s for all things, in the name 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father, 

21 Being subject one to another in the fear of 
Christ. 

Gospel. St. John iy. 46-53. 

46 And there was a certain ruler, whose son was 
sick at Capharnaum. 

47 He haying heard that Jesus was come from 
Judea into Galilee, went to him, and prayed him to 
come down and heal his son : for he was at the point 
of death. 

48 Then Jesus said to him : Unless you see signs 
and wonders, you belieye not. 

49 The ruler saith to him : Sir, come down before 
that my son die. 

50 Jesus saith to him : Go thy way, thy son liyeth. 
The man belieyed the word which Jesus said to him, 
and went his way. 

51 And as he was going down, his seryants met 
him : and they brought word, saying, that his son 
My eel . 

52 He asked, therefore, of them the hour wherein 
he grew better. And they said to him : Yesterday, 
at the seyenth hour, the feyer left him. 

53 The father, therefore, knew that it was at the 
same hour that Jesus said to him : Thy son liyeth : 
and himself belieyed and his whole house. 



332 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS. 



TWENTY- FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Ephesians vi. 10-17. 

AS to the rest, brethren, be strengthened in the 
Lord, and in the might of his power. 

11 Put you on the armor of God. that you may be 
able to stand against the snares of the devil. 

12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and 
blood, but against principalities and powers ; against 
the rulers of the world of this darkness ; against the 
spirits of wickedness in the high places. 

13 Wherefore take - unto you the armor of God. 
that you may be able to resist in the evil day. and to 
stand in all things perfect. 

14 Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about 
with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice. 

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the 
gospel of peace : 

16 In all things taking the shield of faith, where- 
with you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts 
of the most wicked one, 

17 And take unto you the helmet of sarvation. and 
the sword of the Spirit, (which is the word of God.) 

Gospel. St. Matthew xviii. 23-35. 

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to 
a king, who would take an account of his seiwants. 

24 And when he had begun to take the account, 
one was brought to him that owed him ten thousand 
talents. 

25 And as he had not wherewith to pay it. his 
lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife 
and children, and all that he had, and payment to be 
made. 

26 But that seiwant falling down, besought him, 
saYing : HaYe patience with me, and I will pay thee 
all. 



FOR SUNDAYS 



AND HOLYDAYS 



333 



27 And the lord of that servant, being moved with 
compassion, let him go. and forgave him the debt. 

28 But when that servant was gone out, he found 
one of his fellow-servants that owed him a hundred 
pence, and laying hold of him. he throttled him. say- 
ing. Pay what thou owest. 

29 And his fellow-servant, falling down, besought 
him. saying : Have patience with me. and I will pay 
thee all. 

30 And he would not : but went and cast him into 
prison, till he should pay the debt. 

31 Now his fellow-servants, seeing what was done, 
were very much grieved : and they came, and told 
their lord all that was done. 

32 Then his lord called him. and said to him : 
Thou wicked servant. I forgave thee all the debt, be- 
cause thou besoughtest me : 

33 Shouldst not thou then have had compassion 
also on thy fellow-servant, even as I had compassion 
on thee ? 

34 And his lord being angry, delivered him to the 
torturers, until he should pay all the debt. 

35 So also shall my heavenly Father do to you. if 
you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. 

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY AFTEU PENTECOST . 

Epistle. Philippians i. 6-11. 

BEING confident of this very thing, that he who 
hath begun a good work in you. will perfect it 
unto the day of Christ Jesus. 

7 As it is meet for me to think this for you all : 
because I have you in my heart : and that in my 
bands, and in the defence and confirmation of the 
gospel, you all are partakers of my joy. 

8 For God is my witness, how I long after you all 
in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 



334 THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 

9 And this I pray, that your charity may more and 
more abound in knowledge, and in all understanding : 

10 That you may approve the better things : that 
3'ou may be sincere and without offence unto the day 
of Christ, 

11 Replenished with the fruit of justice, through 
Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xxii. 15-21. 

15 Then the Pharisees going away, consulted 
among themselves how to ensnare him in his speech. 

10 And they send to him their disciples with the 
Herodians, saying : Master, we know that thou art a 
true speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth : 
neither carest thou for any man : for thou dost not 
regard the person of men. 

17 Tell us. therefore, what dost thou think; is it 
lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not ? 

18 But Jesus knowing their wickedness, said : 
Why do ye tempt me, ye hypocrites? 

19 vShow me the coin of the tribute. And they 
offered him a penny. 

20 And Jesus saith to them : Whose image and in- 
scription is this ? 

21 They say to him : Caesar's. Then he saith to 
them : Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are 
Caesar's ; and to God the things that are God's. 

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Philippians iii. 17-21 ; iv. 1-3. 




E followers of me, brethren, and observe them 
who walk so. as you have our model. 



18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often 
(and now tell you weeping) that the}' are enemies of 
the cross of Christ ; 

19 Whose end is destruction ; whose God is their 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS 



335 



belly ; and 'whose glory is in their shame ; who mind 
earthly things. 

20 But our conversation is in heaven : from whence 
also we wait for the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

21 Who will reform the body of our lowness, made 
like to the body of his glory, according to the opera- 
tion whereby also he is able to subdue all things unto 
himself. 

1 Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and 
most desired, my joy and my crown ; so stand fast 
in the Lord, my most dearly beloved : 

2 I beg of Euodia, and I beseech Syntyche, to be 
of one mind in the Lord. 

3 And I entreat thee, my sincere companion, help 
those women who have labored with me in the gospel 
with Clement, and the rest of my fellow-laborers, 
whose names are in the book of life. 

Gospel. St. Matthew ix. 18-26. 

18 TThile he was speaking these things to them, 
behold, a certain ruler came, and adored him, saying : 
Lord, my daughter is just now dead : but come, lay. 
thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 

19 And Jesus rising up, followed him with his dis- 
ciples. 

20 And behold, a woman, who was troubled with 
an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and 
touched the hem of his garment. 

21 For she said within herself: If I shall but touch 
his garment, I shall be healed. 

22 But Jesus turning about, and seeing her, said : 
Take courage, daughter : thy faith hath made thee 
whole. And the woman was made whole from that 
hour. 

23 And when Jesus came into the house of the 
ruler, and saw the minstrels and the crowd making, a. 
rout, he said : 



336 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



24: Give place : for the girl is not dead, but sleep- 
eth. And they laughed at him. 

25 And when the crowd was turned out, he went 
in, and took her by the hand : and the girl arose. 

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that 
Country. 



TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. 

Epistle. Colossians i. 9-14. 

THEREFORE we also, from the day that we heard 
it, cease not to pray for you. and to beg that 
you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in 
all wisdom and spiritual understanding : 

10 That you may walk worthy of God, in all things 
pleasing ; being fruitful in every good work, and in- 
creasing in the knowledge of God ; 

11 Strengthened with all might, according to the 
power of his glory, in all patience and long-suffering 
with joy ; 

12 Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath 
made us worth}' to be partakers of the lot of the 
saints in light : 

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of dark- 
ness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his 
beloved Son, 

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, 
the remission of sins. 

Gospel. St. Matthew xxiv. 15-35. 

15 When, therefore, you shall see the abomination 
of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the 
prophet standing in the holy place : he that readeth, 
let him understand. 

16 Then let those that are in Judea flee to the 
mountains : 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLYDAYS. 



337 



17 And he that is on the house-top, let him not 
come down to take anything out of his house : 

18 And he that is in the field, let him not go back 
to take his coat. 

19 And woe to them that are with child, and that 
give suck in those days. 

20 But pray that your flight be not in the winter, 
or on the Sabbath* 

21 For there shall be then great tribulation, such 
as hath not been from the beginning of the world until 
now. neither shall be. 

22 And unless those days had been shortened, there 
should no flesh be saved : but for the sake of the elect, 
those days shall be shortened. 

23 Then if any man shall say to you : Lo. here is 
Christ, or there, do not believe him. 

24 For there shall arise false christs. and false 
prophets ; and shall show great signs and wonders, in- 
somuch as to deceive (if it were possible) even the elect. 

25 Behold. I have told it to you beforehand. 

26 If. therefore, they shall say to you : Behold, he 
is in the desert ; go ye not out : Behold, he is in the 
closets ; believe it not. 

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and 
appeareth even unto the west : so shall also the com- 
ing of the Son of man be. 

28 Wheresoever the body shall be. there shall the 
eagles also be gathered together. 

29 And immediately after the tribulation of those 
days, the sun shall be darkened : and the moon shall 
not give her light : and the stars shall fall from heaven ; 
and the powers of the heavens shall be moved : 

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of 
man in heaven : and then shall all the tribes of the 
earth mourn ; and they shall see the Son of man com- 
ing in the clouds of heaven with great power and 
majestv. 

22 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



31 And he shall send his angels with a trumpet, 
and a great voice ; and they shall gather together his 
elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of 
the heavens, to the utmost bounds of them. 

32 Xow learn a parable from the fig-tree : when its 
branch is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you 
know that summer is nigh. 

33 So also you, when you shall see all these things, 
know that it is near, even at the doors. 

34 Amen I say to you, this generation shall not 
pass till all these things be done. 

3o Heaven and earth shall pass away; but mid- 
words shall not pass away. 

CANDLEMAS. 

Lesson. Malachi iii. 1-4. 

BEHOLD, I send my Angel, and he shall prepare 
the way before my face. And presently the Lord 
whom you seek, and the Angel of the testament, whom 
you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold, he 
cometh, saith the Lord of hosts : 

- 2 And who shall be able to think of the day of "his 
coining ? and who shall stand to see him ? for he is 
like a refining fire, and like the fullers' herb. 

3 And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver : 
and he shall purity the sons of Levi, and shall refine 
them as gold, and as silver: and the}* shall offer sacri- 
fices to the Lord in justice. 

4 And the sacrifice of Juda and of Jerusalem shall 
please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the 
ancient years. 

Gospel. St. Luke ii. 22-32. 

22 And after the days of her purification, accord- 
ing to the law of Moses, were accomplished, the}' 
carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord. 



FOR SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS 



339 



23 As it is written in the law of the Lord : That 
every male opening the womb shall be called holy to 
the Lord : 

24 And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is writ- 
ten in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or 
two young pigeons. 

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem 
named Simeon ; and this man was just and devout, 
waiting for the consolation of Israel ; and the Holy 
Ghost was in him. 

26 And he had received an answer from the Holy 
Ghost, that he should not see death before he had 
seen the Christ of the Lord. 

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple. 
And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to 
do for him according to the custom of the law, 

28 He also took him into his arms, and blessed 
God, and said : 

29 Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, 
according to thy word, in peace : 

30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, 

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all 
people : 

32 A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and 
the glory of thy people of Israel. 

ALL SAINTS. 

Lesson. Apocalypse vii. 2-12. 

AND I saw another angel ascending from the ris- 
ing of the sun, having the seal of the living 
God : and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, 
to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 

3 Saving: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the 
trees, till we seal the servants of our God in their 
foreheads. 

4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed, 



340 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS 



a hundred forty-four thousand sealed, of all the tribes 
of the children of Israel. 

5 Of the tribe of Juda twelve thousand sealed : of 
the tribe of Ruben twelve thousand sealed : of the 
tribe of Gad twelve thousand sealed : 

6 Of the tribe of Aser twelve thousand sealed : 
of the tribe of Xephthali twelve thousand sealed : of 
the tribe of Manasses twelve thousand sealed : 

7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand sealed: 
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand sealed : of the 
tribe of Issachar twelve thousand sealed : 

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon twelve thousand sealed: 
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand sealed: of the 
tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed. 

9 After this 1 saw a great multitude, which no man 
could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, 
and tongues, standing before the throne, and in sight 
of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in 
their hands. 

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying : Salva- 
tion to our God. who sitteth upon the throne, and to 
the Lamb. 

1 1 And all the angels stood round about the throne, 
and about the ancients, and about the four living 
creatures : and they fell before the throne upon their 
faces, and adored God, 

12 Saying: Amen. Benediction, and glory, and 
wisdom, and thanksgiving, honor, and power, and 
strength to our God. forever and ever. Amen. 

Gospel. St. Matthew v. 1-12. 

1 Xow Jesus seeing the multitudes, he went up 
into a mountain : and when he had sat down, his dis- 
ciples came to him. 

2 And opening his mouth he taught them, saying : 

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. 



FOR SUNDAYS AXD II OL YD AYS 



841 



4 Blessed are the meek : for they shall possess the 
land. 

5 Blessed are they that mourn : for the}' shall be 
comforted. 

G Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after jus- 
tice : for they shall be filled. 

7 Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain 
mercy. 

8 Blessed are the clean of heart : for they shall see 
God. 

9 Blessed are the peace-makers : for they shall be 
called the children of God. 

10 Blessed are they that suffer persecution for jus- 
tice sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

11 Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and 
persecute you. and shall say all manner of evil 
against you falsely, for my sake ; 

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: because your 
reward is very great in heaven. 



ALL SOULS. 

Epistle. 1 Corinthians xv. 51-57. 

BEHOLD, I tell you a mystery : We shall all in- 
deed rise again : but we shall not all be changed, 

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the 
last trumpet : for the trumpet shall sound ; and the 
dead shall rise again incorruptible : and we shall be 
changed. 

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption : 
and this mortal must put on immortality. 

54 And when this mortal hath put on immortality, 
then shall come to pass the saying that is written : 
Death is swallowed up in victory. 

55 death, where is thy victory? O death, where 
is thy sting? 



342 



THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, 



56 Now the sting of death is sin: and the power 
of sin is the law. 

57 But thanks be to God. who hath given us the 
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Gospel. St. John v. 25-29. 

25 Amen, amen I say unto you. that the hour Com- 
eth, and now is. when the dead shall hear the voice 
of the Son of God : and they that hear shall live. 

20 For as the Father hath life in himself, so he 
hath given to the Son also to have life in himself: 

27 And he hath given him authority to execute 
judgment, because he is the Son of man. 

28 Wonder not at this : for the hour cometh. 
wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice 
of the Son of God. 

29 And they that have done good, shall come forth 
unto the resurrection of life : but they that have doue 
evil", unto the resurrection of judgment. 



VESPERS, 

OR THE E VEXING OFFICE. 



FOE SU 

JDATER NOSTER, etc. 
Ave Maria, etc. 

Deus, in acljutorium 
meum intencle. 

R. Domine, ad adju- 
vandum me festina. 

. V. Gloria Patri, et Fi- 
lio, et Spiritui Sancto. 

. R. Sicut erat in prin- 
cipio, et nunc, et semper, 
et in ssecula sseculorum. 
Amen. Alleluia. 



XDAYS. 

Our Father, &c. 
Hail Mary, &c. 
Incline unto my aid, O 
God! 

R . Lord, make haste 
to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, and to the Son, and 
to the Holy Ghost. 

R . As it was in the be- 
ginning, is now. and ever 
shall be, world without 
end. Amen. Alleluia. 



From Septuagesima Sunday till Holy Thursday. 



Laus tibi, Domine, Rex 
seternae ^lorise. 



Praise be 
Lord, King 
glory. 



to thee, O 
of eternal 



psal^ius cix. 

Dixit Dominus Domino 
meo, * Sede a dextris 
meis, 

Donee ponam inimicos 
tuos, * scabellum pedum 
tuorum. 



psalm cix. 

The Lord said to my 
Lord, Sit thou at my right 
hand, 

Until I make thy en- 
emies thy footstool. 

343 



844 



VESPERS . 



Virgam virtutis ture 
emittet Dominus ex Si- 
do : * dominare in medio 
iuimicoram tuoruni. 

Tecum principium in 
die virtutis tua?. in splen- 
doribus sanctorum : * ex 
utero ante luciferum gen- 
ui te. 

Juravit Dominus. et 
non poenitebit cum. * Tu 
es saccrdos in aeternum 
secundum ordinem Mel- 
chisedeeh. 

Dominus a dextris tuis. 

* confregit in die irae suae 
reges. 

Judicabit in nationibus; 
implebit ruinas ; * con- 
quassabit capita in terra 
multorum. 

De torrente in via bibet : 

* propterea exaltabit ca- 
put. 

Gloria Patn\ etc. 

psAOirs ex. 

Confitebor tibi Domine 
in toto corde meo ; * in 
concilio justorum, et eon- 
gregatione. 

Magna opera Domini. * 



The Lord will send 
forth the sceptre of thy 
power out of Sion : rule 
thou in the midst of thy 
enemies. 

With thee is the prin- 
cipality in the day of thy 
strength, in the bright- 
ness of the saints : from 
the womb before the day- 
star I begot thee. 

The Lord hath sworn, 
and he will not repent. 
Thou art a priest forever 
according to the order of 
Melchisedech. 

The Lord at thy right 
hand hath broken kings 
in the day of his wrath. 

He shall judge among 
nations; he shall fill ruins; 
he shall crush the heads in 
the land of many. 

He shall drink of the 
torrent in the way: there- 
fore shall he lift up the 
head. 

Glory be to (he FatJ<t/\ 
<£<:. 

PSAL^r ex. 

I will praise thee. 
Lord, with my whole 
heart : in the council of 
the just, and in the con- 
gregation. 

Great are the works of 



VESPERS 



845 



exquisita in omnes volun- 
tates ejus. 

Confessio et magnifi- 
centia opus ejus : * et 
justitia ejus manet in sae- 
culum saeculi. 

Memoriam fecit mirabi- 
lium suorum, miserieors 
et miserator Dominus : * 
escam dedit tinientibus se. 



Memor erit in sa?culum 
testamenti sui : * virtutem 
operum suorum annuntia- 
bit populo suo, 

Ut det illis haereditatem 
gentium : * opera manuum 
ejus, Veritas et judicium. 

Fidelia omnia mandata 
ejus, confirmata in specu- 
lum sseculi, * facta in 
veritate et sequitate. 

Redemption em misit 
populo suo : * mandavit 
in reternum testamentum 
suum . 

Sanctum et terribile no- 
men ejus : * initium sapi- 
ential timor Domini. 

Intellectus bonus om- 
nibus facientibus eum : * 
laudatio ejus manet in 
sseculum sseculi. 

Gloria Patri. etc. 



the Lord, sought out ac- 
cording to ail his wills. 

His work is praise and 
magnificence ; and his jus- 
tice contiiiueth forever 
and ever. 

He hath made a re- 
membrance of his won- 
derful works, being a 
merciful and gracious 
Lord : he hath given food 
to them that fear him. 

He will be mindful for- 
ever of his covenant : he 
will show forth to his peo- 
ple the power of his works, 

That he may give them 
the inheritance of the Gen- 
tiles : the works of his 
hands are truth and judg- 
ment. 

All his commandments 
are faithful, confirmed for- 
ever and ever, made in 
truth and equity. 

He hath sent redemp- 
tion to his people : he hath 
commanded his covenant 
forever. 

Holy and terrible is his 
name : the fear of the Lord 
is the beginning of wisdom. 

A good understanding 
to all that do it : his praise 
continueth forever and 
ever. 

Glory, etc. 



VESPERS. 



PSALMTJS CXI. 

Beatus vir, qui timet 
Dominium : * in mandatis 
ejus volet uimis. 

Potens in terra erit se- 
men ejus : * generatio ree- 
torum benedicitur. 

Gloria et divitiae in do- 
mo ejus ; * et justitia ejus 
manet in saeculum saeculi. 

Exortum est in tene- 
bris lumen reetis : * mi- 
serieors, et miserator. et 
justns. 

Jueundus homo qui mi- 
seretur et commodat, dis- 
ponet sermones suos in 
judicio : * quia in inter- 
num non eommovebitur. 

In memoria aeterna erit 
justus : * ab auditione 
mala non timebit. 

Paratum cor ejus spe- 
rare in Domino, confirma- 
tum est cor ejus : * non 
eommovebitur donee des- 
pieiat immicos suos. 

Dispersit. dedit paupe- * 
ribus : justitia ejus manet 
in saeculum saeculi, * eor- 
nu ejus exalt abitur in 
gloria. 



FSALM CXI. 

Blessed is the man that 
feareth the Lord: he shall 
delight exceedingly in his 
commandments. 

His seed shall be mighty 
upon earth : the genera- 
tion of the righteous shall 
be blessed. 

Glory and wealth shall 
be in his house : and his 
justice remaineth forever 
and ever. 

To the righteous a light 
is risen up in darkness : 
he is merciful, and com- 
passionate, and just, 

Acceptable is the man 
that showeth mercy and 
lendeth : he shall order 
his words with judgment, 
because he shall not be 
moved forever. 

The just shall be in 
everlasting remembrance : 
he shall not fear the evil 
hearing. 

His heart is ready to 
hope in the Lord : his 
heart is strengthened : he 
shall not be moved until 
he look over his enemies. 

He hath distributed, he 
hath given to the poor : 
his justice remaineth for- 
ever and ever : his horn 
shall be exalted in glory. 



VESPERS. 



347 



Peccatorvidebit. etiras- 
eetur, dentibus suis fre- 
met et tabescet : * deside- 
rium peccatorum peribit. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

PSALMUS CXII. 

Laudate pueri Domi- 
num ; * laudate nonieri 
Domini. 

Sit nomen Domini be- 
nedictum, * ex hoc nunc, 
et usque in ssecuium. 

A solis ortu usque ad 
occasuni, * laudabile no- 
men Domini. 

Excelsus super omnes 
gentes Dominus, * et su- 
per coelos gloria ejus. 

Quis sicut Dominus De- 
us noster, qui in aitis habi- 
tat, * et humilia respicit 
in coelo et in terra ? 

Suscitans a terra in- 
opem, * et de stercore eri- 
gens pauperem : 

Ut collocet eum cum 
principibus, * cum prin- 
cipalis populi sui. 

Qui habitare facit ste- 
rilem in domo, * matrem 
filiorum la^tantem. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



The wicked shall see, 
and shall be angry ; he 
shall gnash with his teeth, 
and pine away : the desire 
of the wicked shall perish. 

Glory, &c. 

PSALM CXIT. 

Praise the Lord, ye 
children ; praise ye the 
name of the Lord. 

Blessed be the name 
of the Lord, from hence- 
forth, now and forever. 

From the rising of the 
sun unto the going down of 
the same , the name of the 
Lord is worthy of praise. 

The Lord is high above 
all nations, and his glory 
above the heavens. 

Who is as the Lord our 
God, who dwelleth on high, 
and looketh down on the 
low things in heaven and 
earth ? 

Raising up the needy 
from the earth, and lift- 
ing up the poor out of 
the dunghill : 

That he may place him 
with princes, with the 
princes of his people. 

"Who maketh the bar- 
ren woman to dwell in a 
house, the joyful mother 
of children. 

Glory, Jcc. 



348 



VESPERS. 



PSALMUS CXIII. 

In exitu Israel de 
JEgypto, * domus Jacob 
de populo barbaro, 

Facta est Judaea sanc- 
tincatio ejus, * Israel po- 
test as ejus. 

Mare vidit, et fugit : * 
Jordanis conversus est re- 
trorsum. 

Montes exultaveruirt ut 
arietes, * et colles sicut 
agni ovium. 

Quid est tibi mare quod 
fugisti ; * et tu Jorclanis, 
quia conversus es retror- 
sum ? 

Montes exultastis sicut 
arietes, * et colles sicut 
agni ovium ? 

A facie Domini mota 
est terra, * a facie Dei 
Jacob, 

Qui convertit petram in 
stagna aquarum, * et ru- 
pem in fontes aquarum. 

Non nobis, Domine, non 
nobis, * sed nomini tuo da 
gloriam. 

Super misericordia tua, 
etveritatetua : *nequando 



PSALM CXIII. 

^Vlien Israel went out 
of Egypt, the house of 
Jacob from a barbarous 
people, 

Judea was made his 
sanctuary, Israel his do- 
minion. 

The sea saw, and fled : 
Jordan was turned back. 

The mountains skipped 
like rams, and the hills 
like the lambs of the 
flock. 

What ailed thee, O thou 
sea, that thou didst flee? 
and thou, O Jordan, that 
thou wast turned back? 

Ye mountains, that ye 
skipped like rams ; and 
ve hills, like lambs of the 
flock ? 

At the presence of the 
Lord the earth was moved, 
at the presence of the God 
of Jacob, 

Who turned the rock 
into pools of waters, and 
the stony hill into foun- 
tains of waters. 

Not to us, O Lord, not 
to us, but to thy name 
give glory 

For thy mercy, and 
for thy truth's sake : lest 



VESPERS. 



349 



dicant gentes, Ubi est De- 
us eoruiri ? 

Deus autem noster in 
coelo : * omnia quaecum- 
que voluit, fecit. 

Simulacra gentium ar- 
gentum et aurum, * opera 
manuum hominum. 

Os habent, et non lo- 
quentur ; * oculos habent, 
et non videbunt ; 

Aures habent, et non 
audient ; * nares habent, 
et non odorabunt ; 

Manus habent, et non 
palpabunt ; pedes habent, 
et non ambulabunt ; * non 
clamabunt in gutture suo. 

Similes illis fiant qui 
faciunt ea, * et omnes qui 
conndunt in eis. 

Domns Israel speravit 
in Domino : * adjutor eo- 
rum et protector eorum 
est. 

Domus Aaron speravit 
in Domino : * adjutor 
eorum et protector eorum 
est. 

Qui timent Dominum, 
speraverunt in Domino : * 
adjutor eorum et protector 
eorum est. 



the Gentiles should say, 
Where is their God ? 

But our God is in 
heaven : he hath done 
all things whatsoever he 
would . 

The idols of the Gen- 
tiles are silver and gold, 
the works of the hands of 
men. 

They have mouths, and 
speak not; they have eyes, 
and see not ; 

They have ears, and 
hear not ; they have noses, 
and smell not ; 

They have hands, and 
feel not; they have feet, 
and walk not ; neither 
shall they cry out through 
their throat. 

Let them that make 
them become like unto 
them, and all such as 
trust in them. 

The house of Israel hath 
hoped in the Lord : he is 
their helper and their pro- 
tector. 

The house of Aaron 
hath hoped in the Lord : 
he is their helper and their 
protector. 

They that fear the Lord 
have hoped in the Lord : 
he is their helper and their 
protector. 



350 



VESPERS 



Dominus memor fuit 
nostri, * et benedixit no- 
bis. 

Benedixit domui Israel : 
* benedixit domui Aaron. 



Benedixit omnibus, qui 
timent Dominum, * pusil- 
lis cum majoribus. 

Adjiciat Dominus super 
vos ; * super vos. et super 
filios vestros. 

Benedicti vos a Do- 
mino. * qui fecit ccelum 
et terrain. 

Ccelum cam' Domino : * 
terrain autem dedit iiliis 
hominum. 

Noil mortui laudabunt 
te. Domine. * neque om- 
nes. que descendunt in 
infernum. 

Sed nos qui vivimus, 
benediuimus Domino. * ex 
hoc nunc et usque in 
saeeulum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

The following Psalm is sun 
of the foregoing. 

PSALMUS CXYI. 

Laudate Dominum. om- 
nes gentes : * laudate cum, 
omnes populi. 

Quoniam confirmata est 



The Lord hath been 
mindful of us. and hath 
blessed us. 

He hath blessed the 
house of Israel : he hath 
blessed the house of 
Aaron. 

He hath blessed all 
that fear the Lord, both 
little and great. 

May the Lord add bless- 
ings upon you ; upon you, 
and upon your children. 

Blessed be you of the 
Lord, who made heaven 
and earth. 

The heaven of heaven 
is the Lord's, but the 
earth he hath given to 
the children of men. 

The dead shall not 
praise thee. Lord, nor 
any of them that go down 
to hell- 
But we that live bless 
the Lord, from this time 
now and forever. 

Glory. &c. 
on sundry festivals, in place 

PSALVT CXVI. 

O praise the Lord, all 
ye nations : praise him, all 
ye people. 

For his mercy is con- 



VESPERS. 



351 



super nos misericordia 
ejus : * et Veritas Domini 
manet in aetemum. 
Gloria Patri, etc. 



firmed upon us : and the 
truth of the Lord remain- 
eth forever. 
Glory, &c. 



CAPrruLOf. (2 Corinthians i.) 

Benedictus Deus et Pa- Blessed be the God and 

ter Domini nostri Jesu Father of our Lord Jesus 

Christi, Pater misericordi- Christ, the Father of mer- 

arum, et Deus totius eon- cies. and the God of all 

solationis, qui eonsolatur comfort, who eomforteth 

nos in orani tribulatione us in all our tribulation, 
nostra. 

i£. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God* 



THE HTMX. 



LUCIS Creator optime, 
Lucem die rum proferens, 
Primordiis lucis novas, 
Mundi parans originem; 



Qui mane junctum vesperi, 
Diem vocari prascipis ; 
Illabitur tetrum chaos, 
Audi preces cum fletibus ; 



Ke mens gravata crimine, 
Vitae sit exul munere, 
Dum nil perenne cogitat, 
Seseque culpis illigat. 



O great Creator of the light, 
Whofrom the darksome womb 

of night 
B roughest forth new light at 

nature's birth, 
To shine upon the face of 

earth ; 

Who, by the morn and even- 
ing ray, 

Hast measured time, and 
called it day; 

Whilst sable night involves 
the spheres, 

Vouchsafe to hear our prayers 
and tears ; 

Lest our frail mind, with sin 
denied, 

From gift of life should be 
exited, 

Whilst on no heavenly thing 

she thinks, 
But twines herself in Satan's 

links. 



.352 



VESPERS 



Ooeleste pulset ostium. 
Yitale tollat premium ; 
Yitemus omne noxinm. 
Purgenius omne pessimuin. 



Praesta. Pater piissime. 
Patrique compar Unice, 
Cum Spiritu ParaeJito, 
Kegnans per omne saeculum. 
Amen. 



Y f Dirigatur. Domine, 
oTatio men. 

i?. Sictit incensum in 
conspectu tuo. 



O. may she soar to heaven 
above, 

The happy seat of life and 
love : 

Meantime, all sinful actions 
slum. 

And satisfy for evil done. 

This prayer, most gracious 

Father, hear: 
Thy equal Son incline his ear, 
Who. with the Holy Ghost 

and thee, 
Doth live and reign eternally. 

Amen. 

V. May my prayer, O 
Lord, be directed. 

R. As incense in thy 
sidit. 



THE MAGNIFICAT. OR THE 



M 



VIRGIN. C 

MAGNIFICAT * arii- 



ma me a Dominium 
Et exultavit spiritus 
mens * in Deo salntari 
meo : 

Quia respexit humilita- 
tem ancilke suae ; * ecce 
enim ex hoe beatam 
me dicent omnes genera- 
tiones. 

Quia fecit mihi magna 
qui potens est ; * et sanc- 
tum nomen ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a 
progenie in progenies, * 
timentibus eum. 



CANTICLE OF THE BLESSED 

St. Luke i.) 

My soul doth magnify 
the Lord. 

And my spirit liath re- 
joiced in God my Sa- 
viour ; 

Because he hath re- 
garded the humility of his 
handmaid : for behold, 
from henceforth all gen- 
erations shall call me 
blessed. 

For he that is mighty 
hath , done great things to 
me : and holy is his name. 

And liis mercy is from 
generation to generation 
to them that fear him. 



VESPERS. 



353 



Fecit potentiam in bra- 
cliio suo : * clispersit su- 
perb os niente cordis sui. 

Deposuit potentes de 
sede, * et exaltavit hu- 
miles. 

Esurientes implevit bo- 
nis, * et divites dimisit 
inanes. 

Suscepit Israel puermn 
suum. * recordatus mise- 
ricordiae suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad pa- 
ties nostros. * Abraham 
et semini ejus in saecula. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



He hath showed might 
in his arm : ho hath scat- 
tered the proud in the 
conceit of their heart. 

He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, 
and hath exalted the hum- 
ble. 

He hath filled the hun- 
gry with good things, and 
the rich he hath sent away 
empty . 

He hath received Israel 
his servant, being mindful 
of his mercy. 

As he spoke to our 
fathers, to Abraham and 
to his seed forever. 

Glory . &c. 



Then follows the prayer, which is different every Sunday. 



Y. Dominus v obis cum. 

P. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

V. Benedicamus Do- 
mino. 

P. Deo gratias. 

Y. Fidehum animae, 
per misericordiam Dei, 
requiescant in pace. 

P. Amen. 

Pater noster. etc. 



V. The Lord be with 
you. 

P. And with thy spirit. 
I". Let us bless the 
Lord. 

P. Thanks be to God. 

Y. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mer- 
cy of God. rest in peace, 

P. Amen. 

Our Father. &c. 



When Complin is not said immediately after Vespers, after 
the verse Fidelium animce and the Paier noster, is said : 

V. Dominus det nobis V. Our Lord grant us 
suam pacem. his peace. 

23 



354 



VESPERS. 



JR. Et vitam aeternam. R. And life everlast- 
Amen. hig. Amen. 

Then is said one of the following anthems, according to the 
time. 

THE ANTHEM. 

From the first Sunday of Advent till the Purification, 
inclusively. 



ALMA Redemptoris Mater, 
qua? pervia cceli, 
Porta manes, et stella maris, 

succurre cadenti, 
Surgere qui curat populo ; tu 

quae genuisti, 
Natura mirante, tuum sanc- 
tum Genitorem, 
Virgo prius ac posterius, Ga- 

brielis ah ore 
Sumens illud Ave, peccato- 
rum miserere. 



Mother of Jesus, heaven's 
open gate, 

Star of the sea, support the 
fallen state 

Of mortals ; thou, whose womb 
thy Maker bore, 

And yet, strange thing, a vir- 
gin as before. 

Who didst, from Gabriel's 
hail, this news receive, 

Repenting sinners by thy 
prayers relieve. 



V. Angelus 
nuntiavit Marias. 



i?. Et concepit 
Spiritu Sancto. 

Oremus. 

Gratiam tuam quaesu- 
mus. D omine, mentions 
riostris infunde, ut qui. 
angelo nnntiante. Christi 
Filii tui incarnationem 
cognovimus. per passio- 
nem ejus et crucem ad 
resurrectionis gloriam per- 
ducamur, per eumdeni 



In Advent. 

Domini V. The angel of the 
Lord declared his mes- 
sage to Mary. 

it. And she conceived 
by the Holy Ghost. 



de 



Let us pray. 

Pour forth, we beseech 
thee. O Lord, thy grace 
into our hearts, that we, 
to whom the incarnation 
of Christ thy Son has 
been made known hy the 
message of an angel, may, 
by his passion and cross, 
be brought to the glo- 



VESPERS. 



355 



Christum Dominum nos- 
trum. 

R. Amen. 

After 

V. Post partum virgo 
inviolata permansisti. 

it. Dei Genitrix, inter- 
cede pro nobis. 

Or emus. 
Deus, qui salutis aeter- 
n?e beatae Maria? virgi- 
nitate fcecunda, humano 
generi praemia praestitisti, 
tribue, qiuesurnus, ut ip- 
sam pro nobis intercedere 
sentiamus, per quam me- 
rtiimiis Auetorem vitse 
suscipere Dominum nos- 
trum Jesum Christum, 
Filium tiuim. Amen. 



ry of his resurrection, 
through the same Christ, 
our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

Advent. 

V. After childbirth thou 
didst remain an inviolate 
virgin. 

R. Mother of God, make 
intercession for us. 



Let us pray. 

O God, who bj r the 
fruitful virginity of the 
blessed Virgin Mary, hast 
given to mankind the re- 
wards of eternal salvation, 
grant, we beseech thee, 
that we may be sensible 
of the benefits of her in- 
tercession, by whom we 
have received the Author 
of life, our Lord Jesus 



Christ, thy Son. Amen. 
From the Purification till Easter. 



Ave Regina coelorum, 
Ave Domina angelorum, 
Salve radix, salve porta, 
Ex qua mundo lux est orta. 
Gaude Virgo gloriosa, 
Super omnes speeiosa; 
Vale O valde decora, 
Et pro nobis Christum exora. 



Hail, Mary, Queen of heav- 
enly spheres, 

Hail, whom the angelic host 
reveres. 

Hail, fruitful root, hail, sa- 
cred gate, 

Whence the world's light de- 
rives its date. 

O glorious Maid, with beauty 
blessed, 

May joys eternal fill thy breast. 

Thus crowned with beauty and 
with joy, 

Thy prayers with Christ for us 
employ. 



356 



VESPERS. 



V. Dignare me laudare 
te, Virgo sacrata. 

R. Da mihi virtutem 
contra hostes tuos. 

Or emus. 

Concede, miserieors 
Deus, fragilitati nostras 
presidium, ut qui sanctae 
Dei Genitricis memori- 
am agimus, intereessionis 
ejus auxilio a nostiis ini- 
q uit atib us r e s u r ga m u s , 
per eumdem Christum 
Dominum nostrum. 

R. Amen. 

From Easter 

Regina cceli lsetare, Al- 
leluia ; 

Quia quern meruisti por- 
tare, Alleluia, 

Eesurrexit, sicut dixit ; 
Alleluia. 

Ora pro nobis Deum ; 
Alleluia. 

V. Gaucle et hetare, 
Virgo Maria, Alleluia ; 

R. Quia surrexit Do- 
minus vere, Alleluia. 

Or emus. 

Deus, qui per resurrec- 
tionem Filii tui, Domini 
nostri. Jesu Christi, mun- 



V. Vouchsafe, sa- 
cred Virgin, to accept my 
praises. 

R. Give me power 
against thy enemies. 

Let us pray. 

Grant us, O merciful 
God, strength against all 
our weakness, that we, 
who celebrate the memory 
of the holy Mother of God, 
may. by the help of her in- 
tercession, rise again from 
our iniquities, through the 
same Christ our Lord. 

R, Amen. 

until Trinity. 

O Queen of heaven, 
rejoice. Alleluia ; 

For He whom thou 
didst deserve to bear, 
Alleluia, 

Is risen again, as he 
said ; Alleluia. 

Pray for us to God ; 
Alleluia. 

V. Rejoice and be glad, 
O Virgin Mary, Alleluia ; 

R. Because our Lord 
is truly risen, Alleluia. 

Let us pray. 

O God, who by the res- 
urrection of thy Son, our 
Lord Jesus Christ, hast 



VESPERS. 



357. 



dum laetificare dignatus es , 
praesta, qimesumus, ut per 
ejus Genitricem Virginem 
Mariam perpetuse capi- 
aimis gaudia vitse, per 
eumdem Christum Domi- 
lium nostrum. 
R. Amen. 



been pleased to fill the 
world with joy, grant, we 
beseech thee, that by the 
Virgin Mary, his Mother, 
we may receive the joys 
of eternal life, through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



From Trinity Sunday till Advent. 



Salve, Regina, Mater 
misericordke ; vita, dul- 
cedo, et spes nostra, 
salve. 

Ad te clamamus, exu- 
les filii 'Evse. Ad te sus- 
piramus, gementes et 
flentes, in hac lacryma- 
rum valle. 

Eia ergo Advocata nos- 
tra, illos tuos miseri- 
cordes oculos ad nos con- 
verte. 

Et Jesum benedictum 
fructum veutris tui, no- 
bis post hoc exilium os- 
tende. 

O clemens, O pia, O 
dulcis Virgo Maria ! 

V. Ora pro nobis, 
sancta Dei Genitrix ! 

R. Ut digni efficiamur 
promissionibus Christi. 



Hail, O Queen, O Moth- 
er of mercy ; hail, our 
life, our comfort, and our 
hope. 

We, the banished chil- 
dren of Eve, cry out untor 
thee. To thee we send 
up our sighs, groaning 
and weeping in this vale 
of tears. 

Come, then, our Advo- 
cate, and look upon us 
with those thy pitying 
eyes. 

And after this our ban- 
ishment, show ns Jesus, 
the blessed fruit of thy 
womb. 

O merciful, O pious,! 
O sweet Virgin Mary ! 

V. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God ! 

R. That we may be 
made worthy of the 
promises of Christ. 



358 



VESPERS. 



reruns. 

Omnipotens sempiteme 
Deus,qui gloriosae Virginis 
Matris Marise corpus et 
animam, ut (lignum Filii 
tui habitaeulum effici rue- 
reretur, Spiritu Sancto 
cooperante, praeparasti, 
da ut cujus commemora- 
tione laetaraur, ejus pia 
intercessions ab instanti- 
bus malis, et amorte per- 
petua liberemur, per euiti- 
dera C hristum Dominum 
nostrum. 



ii. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium 
maneat semper nobiscum. 

i?. Amen. 



Let us pray. 

Almighty and eternal 
God, who, by the coop- 
eration of the Holy Ghost, 
didst prepare the body 
and soul of the glorious 
Virgin Mother, Mary, 
that she might become a 
worthy habitation for thy 
Son ; grant that as with 
joy we celebrate her 
memory, so by her pious 
intercession we may be 
delivered from present 
evils and eternal death, 
through the same Christ 
our Lord. 

Jl. Amen. 

V. May the divine 
assistance always remain 
with us. 

H. Amen. 



ON THE FESTIVALS OF THE BLESSED 
VIRGIN MARY. 

Psalms: Dixit Dominus, etc., page 343, and ;Laudate pueri 
Dominum , etc., page 347. 



PSALMUS CXXI. 

I STATUS sum in his 
^ quae dicta sunt mihi : 
* in domum Domini ibi- 
mus. 

Stantes erant pedes 



PSALM CXXI. 

I rejoiced at the things 
that were said to me : we 
shall go into the house of 
the Lord. 

Our feet were standing 



VESPERS. 



359 



nostri, * in atriis tuis, 
Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem, quae aedifi- 
catur ut civitas ; * cujus 
participatio ejus in idip- 
sum. 

Illuc enim ascenderunt 
tribus, tribus Domini ; * 
testimonium Israel ad 
confitendum nomini Do- 
mini. 

Quia illic sederunt sedes 
in judicio, * sedes super 
domum David. 

Eogate quae ad pacem 
sunt Jerusalem. * et abun- 
dantia diligentibus te. 

Fiat pax in virtute 
tua.* et abundantia in 
turribus tuis. 

Propter fratres meos, 
et proximos meos, * lo- 
quebar pacem de te. 

Propter domum Do- 
mini Dei nostri, * quae- 
sivi bona tibi. 

Gloria Patn\ etc. 

PSALMUS CXXVI. 

Nisi Dominus aedifi- 
caverit domum, * in va- 
num laboraverunt qui 
sedifiQant earn. 



in trry courts, Jerusa- 
lem. 

Jerusalem, which is 
built as a city ; which is 
compact together. 

For thither did the 
tribes go up, the tribes 
of the Lord ; the testi- 
mony of Israel, to praise 
the name of the Lord. 

Because there seats 
have sat in judgment, 
seats upon the house of 
David. 

Pray }'e for the things 
that are for the peace of 
Jerusalem, and abundance 
for them that love thee. 

Let peace be in thy 
strength, and abundance 
in thy towers. 

For the sake of my 
brethren, and of my neigh- 
bors, I spoke peace of 
thee. 

Because of the house 
of the Lord our God, I 
have sought good things 
for thee. 
Glory, &c. 

PSALM CXXVI. 

Unless the Lord build 
the house, the}' labor in 
vain that build it. 



360 



VESPERS 



Nisi Domimis eusto- 
dierit civitatem, * frus- 
tra vigilat qui custodit 
earn. 

Vanum est vobis ante 
lucem surgere : * sur- 
gite postquam sederitis, 
qui manducatis panem 
doloris. 

Cum dedcrit dilectis 
suis somnum : * ecce hiv- 
reditas Domini, iilii ; 
merces, fructus ventris. 



Sicut sagittse in roanu 
potentis, * ita liiii excus- 
sorum. 

Beatus vir qui implc- 
vit desiderium suum ex 
ipsis : * non confundetur 
cum loquetur hiimicis suis 
in porta. 

Gloria, Patri, etc. 

PSALMUS CXLYII. 

Lauda, Jerusalem, Do- 
minum ; * lauda Deum 
tuum, Sion. 

Quoniam confortavit 
seras portarum tuarum ; 
* benedixit filiis tuis in 
te. 

Qui posuit fines tuos 



Unless the Lord keep 
the city, he wateheth in 
vain that keepeth it. 

It is vain for you to 
rise before light: rise 
ye after you have sitten, 
you that eat the bread 
of sorrow. 

When lie shall give 
sleep to his beloved : be- 
hold, the inheritance of 
the Lord are children ; 
the reward, the fruit of 
the womb. 

As arrows in the hand 
of the mighty, so the 
children of them that have 
been shaken. 

Blessed is the man that 
hath filled his desire with 
them : he shall not be 
confounded when he shall 
speak to his enemies in 
the gate. 

Glory, etc. 

PSALM CXLVII. 

Praise the Lord, O 
Jerusalem ; praise tin- 
God. O Sion. 

Because he hath 
strengthened the bolts 
of thy gates : he hath 
blessed thy children with- 
in thee. 

Who hath placed peace 



VESPERS. 



301 



pacem, * et actipe fru- 
menti satiat te. 

Qui emittit eloquium 
suum terras : * yelociter 
currit sermo ejus. 

Qui dat nivem sicut 
lanam ; * nebulam sicut 
cinerem spargit. 

Mittit crystaUum suaui 
sicut buccellas ; * ante 
faciem frigoris ejus quis 
sustinebit ? 

Emittet verbum suum 
et liquefaciet ea ; * flabit 
spiritus ejus, et fluent 
aqua3. 

Qui annuntiat verbum 
suum Jacob ; * justitias 
et judicia sua Israel. 

Non fecit taliter omni 
nation! ; * et juclicia sua 
non manifestavit eis. 



Gloria Patri, etc. 

THE 

Ave maris Stella, 
Dei Mater alma, 
Atque semper Virgo, 
Felix coeli porta. 



Sumens illud Ave, 
Gabrielis ore, 



in thy borders, and filleth 
thee with the fat of corn. 

Who sendeth forth his 
speech to the earth : his 
word runneth swiftly. 

Who giveth snow like 
wool ; scattereth mists 
like ashes. 

He sendeth his crystal 
like morsels : who shall 
stand before the face of 
his cold? 

He shall send out his" 
word, and shall melt 
them ; his wind shall blow/ 
and the waters shall run. 

Who declareth his word 
to Jacob ; his justices and 
his judgments to Israel. 

He hath not done in 
like manner to every na- 
tion ; and his judgments 
he hath not made mani- 
fest to them. 

Glory, &c. 

HYMN. 

Bright Mother of our Maker, 
hail ! 

Thou Virgin ever blest ! 
The ocean's star by which we 
sail, 

And gain the port of rest ! 

Whilst we this Ave thus to 
thee 

From Gabriel's mouth re- 
hearse, 3 



362 



VESPERS. 



Funda nos in pace, 
Mutans Hevae nomen. 



Solve vincla reis, 
Profer lumen oaeeis, 
Mala nostra pelle, 
Bona cuncta posce. 



Monstra te esse Matrem, 
Sumat per te preces, 
Qui pro nobis natus, 
Tulit esse tuus. 



Virgo singularis, 
Inter omnes mitis, 
Nos culpis solutos, 
Mites fac et castos. 



Vitam prsesta puram, 
Iter para tutum, 
Ut videntes Jesum, 
Semper collaatemur. 



Sit laus Deo Patri, 
Summo Cbristo deeus, 
Spiritui Sancto, 
Tribus honor unus. 

Amen. 



Prevail, that peace our lot 

may be, 
And Evas name reverse. 

Release our long-entangled 
mind 

From .ill the snares of ill; 
With heavenly light instruct 

the blind, 
And all our vows fulfil. 

Exert for us a mother's care, 
And us thy cbildren own ; 
Prevail with Him to hear our 
prayer 

AYho chose to be thy Son. 

O spotless Maid, whose vir- 
tues shine 

With brightest purity, 

Each action of our life re- 
fine, 

And make us pure like thee. 

Preserve our lives unstained 

from ill, 
And guard us in our way, 
That Christ, one day, our 

souls may fill • 
With joys that ne'er decay. 

To God the Father endless 

praise ; 
To God the Son the same ; 
And Holy Ghost, whose equal 

rays 

One equal glory claim. 

Amen. 



V. Dignare me, lau- V. Vouchsafe, sa- 
dare te, Virgo saerata. creel Virgin, to accept 

1113' praises. 

J?. Da mihi virtutem JR. Give me strength 
contra hostes tuos. against thy enemies. 



VESPERS. 



363 



ON FESTIVALS OF THE APOSTLES. 

First vespers : * 1 second vespers ; psalms, Dixit Dominus, 
page 3-to ; Laudate pueri Dominum, page 3^7. 



PSALXUS CXV. 

CREDIDI, propter 
quod locutus sum ; 
* ego autem humiliatus 
sum nimis. 

Ego dixi in excessu 
meo, * Omnis homo men- 
dax. 

Quid retribuam Do- 
mino * pro omnibus quae 
retribuit mihi? 

Calicem salutaris acci- 
piam, * et uomen Domini 
invocabo. 

Vota mea Domino red- 
dam coram omni populo 
ejus : * pretiosa in con- 
spectu Domini mors sanc- 
torum ejus. 

O Domine, quia ego 
servus tuus ; * ego ser- 
vus tuus, et filius ancilla^ 
tuse. 

Dirupisti vincula mea : * 
tibi sacrificabo hostiam 
laudis, et uomen Domini 
invocabo. 



PSALM CXY. 

I haye believed, there- 
fore have I spoken : but 
I. have been humbled ex- 
ceedingly. 

I said in my excess, 
Every man is a liar. 

What shall I render to 
the Lord for all the things 
that he hath rendered to 
me? 

I will take the chalice 
of salvation ; and I will 
call upon the name of the 
Lord. 

I will pay my vows to 
the Lord before • all his 
people : precious in the 
sight of the Lord is the 
death of his saints. 

O Lord, for I am thy 
servant ; I am thy ser- 
vant, and the son of thy 
handmaid. 

Thou hast broken my 
bonds : I will sacrifice to 
thee the sacrifice of praise, 
and I will call upon the 
name of the Lord. 



1 The asterisk designates those festivals for which no particular psalms are 
appointed. On these festivals, the psalms which are placed under the head of 
Sunday are said. The first vespers are said on the eve of the festival. 



364 



VESPERS 



Vota mea Domino red- 
dam in conspectu omnis 
populi ejus ; * in atriis 
domus Domini, in medio 
tui, Jerusalem. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

PSALMUS CXXV. 

In convertendo Domi- 
nus captivitatem Sioin, * 
facti sumus sicut conso- 
lati. 

Tunc repletum est gau- 
dio os nostrum, * et lin- 
gua nostra exultatione. 

Tunc dicent inter gen- 
tes,* Magnificavit Do- 
minus facere cum eis. 

Magnificavit Dominus 
facere nobiscum : * facti 
sumus laetantes. 

Converte Domine cap- 
tivitatem nostram,* sicut 
torrens in austro. 

Qui seminant in lacry- 
mis in exultatione me- 
tent. 

Euntes ibant et fle- 
bant, * mittentes semina 
sua. 

Venientes autem ve- 
nient cum exultatione, * 
portantes manipulos suos. 

Gloria Patrij etc. 



I will pay my vows to 
the Lord in the sight of 
all his people ; in the 
courts of the house of the 
Lord, in the midst of thee, 
O Jerusalem. 

Glory, &c. 

PSAL3I CXXV. 

When the Lord brought 
back the captivity of Sion, 
we became like men com- 
forted . 

Then was our mouth 
filled with gladness, and 
our tongue with joy. 

Then shall they say 
among the Gentiles, The 
Lord hath done great 
things for them. 

The Lord hath done 
great things for us : we 
are become joyful. 

Turn again our captiv- 
ity. O Lord, as a stream 
in the south. 

They that sow in tears 
shall reap in joy. 

Going, they went and 
wept, casting their seeds. 

But coming, they shall 
come with joyfulness, 
carrying their sheaves. 

Glory, etc. 



VESPERS. 



3G5 



PSALMUS CXXXYIII. 

Domine, probasti me 
et cognovisti me ; * tu 
cognovisti sessionem me- 
am, et resurrectionem 
me am . 

Intellexisti cogitationes 
meas cle longe : * semi- 
tam meam et funiculum 
meum investigasti. 

Et omnes vias praevi- 
clisti : * quia non est ser- 
mo in lingua mea. 

Ecce, Domine, tu cog- 
novisti omnia, novissima 
et antiqua : * tu formasti ' 
me, et posuisti super me 
nianum tuam. 

Mirabilis facta est sci- 
entia tua ex me : * con- 
fortata est, et non potero 
ad earn. 

Quo ibo a spiritu tuo? 
* et quo a facie tua fu- 
giam ? 

Si ascendero in coolum, 
tu illic es : * si clescen- 
dero in internum, ades. 

Si sumpsero pennas 
meas dihiculo, * et habi- 
tavero in extremis maris, 

Etenim illuc manus tua 



PSALM CXXXVIII. 

Lord, thou hast proved 
me and known me ; thou 
hast known my sitting- 
do wn and my rising up. 

Thou hast understood 
nry thoughts afar off: mv 
path and my line thou 
hast searched out. 

And thou hast fore- 
seen all my ways : for 
there is no speech in my 
tongue. 

Behold, O Lord, thou 
hast known all things, the 
last and those of old : 
thou hast formed me, and 
hast laid thy hand upon 
me. 

Thy knowledge is be- 
come wonderful to me : 
it is high, and I cannot 
reach to it. 

Whither shall I go from 
thy spirit? or whither 
shall I flee from thy face ? 

If I ascend into heaven, 
thou art there : if I de- 
scend into hell, thou art 
present. 

If I take my wings 
early in the morning, and 
dwell in the uttermost 
parts of the sea, 

Even there also shall 



3GG 



VESPERS 



deducet me ; * et tenebit 
me dextera tua. 

Et dixi, Forsitan tene- 
brse cdneulcabunt me, * 
et nox iiluminatio mea in 
delieiis meis. 

Quia tenebrae non ob- 
scurabuutur a te. et nox 
sicut dies illuminabitur : 

* sicut tenebrae ejus, ita 
et lumen ejus. 

Quia tu possedisti re- 
nes meos. * suscepisti me 
de utero matris meae. 

Confitebor tibi quia ter- 
ribiliter magnhicatus es : 

* mirabilia opera tua. et 
anima mea cognoscit ni- 
mis. 

Non est occultatum os 
meuma te. quod fecisti in 
occulto ; * et substantia 
mea in inferioribus terrae . 

Imperfectum meum vi- 
derunt oeuli tui, et in 
libro tuo omnes scriben- 
tur: * dies formabuntur, 
et nemo in eis. 

Mihi autem nimis lio- 
noriiieati sunt amici tui 
Deus : * nimis conforta- 
tus est principatus eorum. 



thy hand lead me : and 
thy right hand shall hold 
me. 

And I said, Perhaps 
darkness shall cover me. 
and night shall be my 
light in my pleasures. 

But darkness shall not 
be dark to thee, and night 
shall be light as the day : 
the darkness thereof, and 
the light thereof, are alike 
to thee. 

For thou hast possessed 
my reins, thou hast pro- 
tected me from my moth- 
er's womb. 

' I will praise thee, for 
thou art fearfully magni- 
fied : wonderful are thy 
works, and my soul know- 
eth right well. 

My bone is not hidden 
from thee, which thou hast 
made in secret, and my 
substance in the lower 
parts of the earth. 

Thy eyes did see my 
imperfect being, and in 
thy book all shall be writ- 
ten : days shall be formed, 
and no one in them. 

But to me. thy friends, 
O God, are made ex- 
ceedingly honorable : their 
principality is exceeding- 
ly strengthened. 



VESPERS. 



3G7 



Dinumerabo eos. et su- 
per arenam multipliea- 
buntur : * exurrexi, et 
aclliuc sum tecum. 

Si oecideris, Deus, pec- 
cat ores : * viri saiigui- 
num. deelinate a me. 

Quia dicitis in eogita- 
tione, * Aecipient in vani- 
tate civitates tuas. 

Nonne qui oderunt te, 
Domine. oderani ; * et 
super inimicos tuos tabes- 
cebam ? 

Perfecto odio oderam 
illos : * et inimici facti 
sunt mihi. 

Proba me, Deus, et 
seito cor meum: * inter- 
roga me, et cognosce sem- 
itas meas. 

Et vide si via iniquita- 
tis in me est : * et cleduc 
me in via aeterna. 

Gloria Patri* etc. 



I will number them, 
and they shall be multi- 
plied above the sand: I 
rose up, and am still with 
thee. 

If thou wilt kill the 
wicked, O God: ye men 
of blood, depart from me. 

Because you say in 
thought. They shall re- 
ceive thy cities in vain. 

Have I not hated them, 
O Lord, that hate thee ; 
and pined away because 
of thy enemies ? 

I have hated them with 
a perfect hatred, and they 
are become enemies to me; 

Prove me. O God. and 
know my heart : examine 
me. and know my paths. 

And see if there be in 
me the way of iniquity : 
and lead me in the eternal 
wav. 

Glory, &c. 



COMMON" OF APOSTLES. 



Exultet orhis gaudiis ; 
Coelum resultet laudibus ; 
Apostolorum gloria m 
Tellus et astra concinunt. 



Now let the earth with joy 

resound, 
And highest heaven re-echo 

round ; 

Nor heaven nor earth too high 

can raise 
The great apostles' glorious 

praise. 



368 



VESPERS. 



Vos saeculorum Judiees, 
Kt vera mundi lumina, 
Votis precamur cordium : 
Audite voces supplicurn. 



Qui templa coeli clauditis, 
Serasque verbo solvitis, 
Nos a reatu noxios 
Salvi jubete, qusesumus. 



ye, who, throned in glory 

dread, 

Shall judge the living and the 

dead, 

Lights of the world, forever- 
more 

To you the suppliant prayer 
we pour. 

Ye close the sacred gates on 
high : 

At vour command apart they 

fly: 

O, loose us from the guilty 
chain 

We strive to break, and strive 
in vain. 



Prsecepta quorum protinus 
Languor, salusqxie sentiunt ; 
Satiate mentes languidas; 
Augete nos virtutibus. 



TJt, cum redibit Arbiter 
In fine Christus sseculi, 
Nos sempiterni gaudii 
Concedat esse compotes. 



Patri, simulqiio Filio, 
Tibique Sanete Spiritus, 
Sicut fuit, sit jugiter 
Saeelum per otune gloria* 
Amen. 



Sickness and health your 

voice obey; 
At your command they go or 

stay : 

O, then from sin our souls 

restore ; 
Increase our virtues more and 

more. 

So, when the world is at its 
end, 

And Christ to judgment shall 

descend, 
May we be called those joys 

to see, 

Prepared from all eternity. 

Praise to the Father, with the 
Son, 

And Holy Spirit, Three in 
One ; 

As ever was in ages past, 
And shall be so while ages 
last. Amen. 



VESPERS. 



369 



First Vespers. 

V. In omnem terram V. Their sound is gone 
exivit sonus eorum. forth into all the earth. 

R. Et in fines orbis R. And their words 
terras verba eorurn. unto the ends of the 

world. 



Second 

V. Annuntiaverunt ope- 
ra Dei. 

R. Et facta ejus intel- 
lexerunt. 



Vespers. 

V. They declared the 
■works of God. 

R. And understood his 
doings. 



COMMON OF APOSTLES IN PASCHAL TIME. 



Tristes erant apostoli 
De Christi acerbo funere, 
Quern ruorte crudelissima 
Servi necarant iinpii. 



When Christ, by his own 

servants slain, 
Had died upon the bitter 

cross, 

Tli' apostles, of their joy be- 
reft, 

Were weeping their dear Sa- 
viour's loss. 



Sermone verax angelus 
Mulieribus predixerat, 
Mox ore Christus gaudium 
Gregi feret fidelium. 



Meanwhile, an angel at the 
tomb 

To holy women hath foretold, 
" The faithful flock shall soun 

with joy 
Their Lord in Galilee be- 
hold." 



Ad anxios apostolos 
Currant statim dum nuntiae, 
Ilia? mica ntis obvia 
Christi tenent vestigia. 



24 



Who, as they run, the news 
to bring, 

Lo, straightway Christ him- 
self they meet, 

All radiant with heavenly 
light. 

And falling, clasp his sacred 
feet. 



370 



VESPERS. 



Galileae ad alta montium 
Se conferunt apostoli, 
Jesuque, voti compotes, 
Almo beantur luuiine. 



Ut sis perenne mentibus, 
Pasehale Jesu gaudium ; 
A morte dira criminum, 
Vitse renatos libera. 



Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Et Filio, qui a mortuis 
Surrexit, ac Paraclito, 
In sempiterna saecula. 

Amen. 



First 

V. Sancti et justi in 
Domino gaudete. Alle- 
luia. 

R. Vos elegit Deus in 
hereditatem sibi. Alle- 
luia. 

Second 

V. Pretiosa in con- 
spectu Domini 

it. Mors sanctorum 
ejus. 



To Galilee's lone mountain 

heights 
The apostolic band retire : 
There, blessed with their dear 

Saviour's sight, 
They taste in full their souls' 
desire. 

O Jesu. from the death of sin, 
Keep us, we pray ; so shalt 

thou be 
The everlasting paschal joy 
Of all the souls new born in 

thee. 

Now to the Father and the 

Son, 

Who rose from death, be glory 
given ; 

With thee, O holy Comforter, 
Henceforth by all in earth 
and heaven. Amen. 

Vespers. 

F. O ye holy and just 
ones, rejoice in the Lord. 
Alleluia. 

it. God hath chosen 
3 r ou to himself for an in- 
heritance. Alleluia. 

Vesjiers. 

V. Precious in the 
sight of the Lord 

R. Is the death of his 
saints. 



VESPERS. 



371 



OF ONE MARTYR OR SEVERAL. 

First Vespers : * Second Vespers, instead of Lavdate Do- 
minum, the last psalm is Credidi, page 363. 



COMMON OF OXE MARTYR. 



DEUS tuorum militum 
Sors, et corona, premi- 
um, 

Laudes canentes martyris, 
Absolve nexu criminis. 



O thou, of all thy warriors, 
Lord, 

Thyself the crown and sure 

reward, 
Set us from sinful fetters free, 
Who sing thy martyr's victory. 



Hie nempe mundi gaudia, 
Et blanda fraud urn pabula 
Imbuta felle deputans 
Pervenit ad coelestia. 



In selfish pleasures' worldly 
round 

The taste of bitter gall he 
found ; 

But sweet to him was thy 

blessed name, 
And thus to heavenly joys he 

came. 



Poenas cucurrit fortiter, 
Et sustulit viriliter, 
Fundensque pro te sangui- 
ne m, 

iEterna dona possidet. 



Ob hoc precatu supplici 
Te poscimus piissime, 
In hoc triumpho martyris 
Dimitte noxam servulis. 



Laus et perennis gloria 
Patri sit, atque Filio, 
Sancto simul Paraclito, 
In sempiterna saecula. 

Amen. 



Right manfully his cross he 
bore, 

And ran his race of torments 
sore ; 

For thee he poured his life 
away ; 

With thee he lives in endless 
day. 

We, then, before thee bend- 
ing low, 

Entreat thee, Lord, thy love 
to show, 

On this the day thy martyr 
died, 

Who in thy saints art glorified. 

Now to the Father, and the 
Son, 

Be glory, while the ages run; 
The same, O Holy Ghost, to 
thee, 

Through ages of eternity. 

Amen. 



372 



VESPERS. 



First 

V. Gloria ct honore 
corona sti eum, Domine. 

7?. Et constituisti cum 
super opera manuum tua- 
rum. 

Second 

V. Justus ut palma 
florebit. 

R. Sicut eedrus Libani 
mnltiplicabitur. 



Vespers* 

V. Thou hast crowned 
him with glory and honor, 
O Lord. 

R. And established 
him over the works of 
thine hands. 

Vespers. 

V. The just shall flour- 
ish as the palm-tree. 

R. And shall be mul- 
tiplied as the cedar of 
Libanus. 



COMMON OF MANY MARTYRS, IN PASCHAL TIME. 



Rex gloriose niartyrum, 
Corona confitentium, 
Qui respuentes terrea 
Perducis ad ccelestia. 



Aurem benign am protinus 
Intende nostris vocibus : 
Trophaea sacra pangimus ; 
Ignosce quod deliquimus. 



Tu vinces inter martyres, 
Parcisque confessoribus ; 
Tu vince nostra crimina, 
Largitor indulgentiae. 



O thou, the martyrs' glorious 
King, 

Of confessors the crown and 
prize. 

Who dost to joys celestial 
bring 

Those who the joys of earth 
despise. 

By all the praise thy saints 
have won ; 

By all their pains in days 
gone by ; 

By all the deeds which they 
have done ; 

Hear thou thy suppliant peo- 
ple's cry. 

Thou dost amid thy martyrs 
fight ; 

Thy confessors thou dost for- 
give ; 

May we find mercy in thy 
sight, 

And in thy sacred presence 
live. 



VESPERS. 



373 



Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Et Filio, qui a mortuis 
Surrexit, ac Paraclito, 
In sempiterna specula. 

Amen. 



First 

V. Sancti et justi in 
Domino gaudete. Alle- 
luia. 

E. Vos elegit Deus in 
hereditatem sibi. Alle- 
luia. 

Second 

V. Pretiosa in con- 
spectu Domini. Alleluia. 

E. Mors sanctorum 
ejus. Alleluia. 



Haw to the Father, and the 
Son, 

Who rose from death, all glory- 
be, 

TTith thee, O holy Comforter, 
Henceforth through all eter- 
nity. Amen. 

espers. 

V. O ye holy and just 
ones, rejoice in the Lord. 

i?. God hath chosen 
you unto himself for an 
inheritance. Alleluia. 

Vespers. 

V. Precious in the 
sight of the Lord. Al- 
leluia. 

R. Is the death of his 
saints. Alleluia. 



COMMON OF MANY MARTYRS. 



Sanctorum meritis inclyta 
gaudia 

Pangainus socii, gestaque 
fortia ; 

Gliscens fert animus promere 

cantibus 
Tictorum genus optimum. 



Sing we the peerless deeds of 

martyred saints, 
Their glorious merits, and 

their portion blest ; 
Of all the conquerors the 

world has seen, 
The greatest and the best. 



Hi sunt, quos fatue mundus 

abhorruit ; 
Hunc fructu vacuum, floribus 

aridum, 
Conterapsere tui nominis as- 

seclae, 

Jesu Kex bone coelitum. 



Them in their day th' insen- 
sate world abhorred, 

Because they did forsake it, 
Lord, for thee ; 

Finding it all a barren waste, 
devoid 

Of fruit, or flower, or tree. 



374 



YESPEKS. 



Hi pro te furias atque minas 
truces 

Calcarunt hominum, ssevaque 

verbera ; 
His cessit lacerans fortiter 

ungula, 
Nec carpsit penetralia. 

Cseduntuf gladiis more biden- 
tiuni : 

Xon murmur resonat, non 

querimonia ; 
Sed eorde impavido mens 

bene conscia 
Conservat patientiam. 

Qua? vox. qua? porterit lingua 

retexere, 
Quae tu martyribus munera 

praeparas ? 
Rubri nam fluido sanguine 

fttlgidis 
Cingunt tempora laureis. 

Te summa, Deitas, unaque 

poscimus. 
"It culpa abigas, noxia sub- 

trahas, 

Pes pacem famulis, ut tibi 

gloria m 
Annorum in seriem canant. 

Amen. 

First 

V. Sancti et justi in Do- 
mino gaudete, Alleluia. 

K. Vos elegit Dens in 
hereditatem sibi. Alle- 
luia . 

Second 

V. Pretiosa in con- 
6pectu Domini. Alleluia. 



They trod beneath them every 

threat of man, 
And came victorious all tor- 
ments through ; 
The iron hooks, which piece- 
meal tore their flesh, 
Could not their souls subdue. 

Scourged, crucified, like sheep 

to slaughter led, 
Unmurmuring they met their 

cruel late, 
For conscious innocence their 

souls upheld, 
In patient virtue great. 

What tongue those joys, O 

Jesu, can disclose, 
Which for thy martyred saint 

thou dost prepare 2 
Happy who in thy pains, 

thrice happjb those 
Who in thy glory, share. 

Our faults, our sins, our mis- 
eries remove. 
Great Deity supreme, immor- 
tal King; 
Grant us thy peace, grant us 

thine endless love, 
Through endless years to 
sing. Amen. 

Vespers* 

V. O ye holy and just 
ones, rejoice in the Lord. 

i?. God hath chosen 
you unto himself for an 
inheritance. Alleluia. 

Vespers, 

V. Precious in the sight 
of the Lord. Alleluia. 



VESPEKS. 



375 



R. Mors sanctorum 
ejus. Alleluia. 



it. Is the death of his 
saints. Alleluia. 



OF CONFESSORS NOT BISHOPS. 

First and second vespers : * instead of In exitu, the last 
psalm is Laudaie Dominum, p. 350. 

The confessor of Christ, from 



ISTE confessor Domini, co- 
lentes 

Quern pie laudant populi per 
orbem, 

Hac die laetus meruit be at as 
Scandere sedes. 



shore to shore 
Worshipped with solemn rite, 
This day went up with joy, 

his labors o'er, 
To his blest seat in light. 



If it be not the clay of his death, the following is substituted: 



Hac die laetus meruit supre- 
mos 

Laudis honores. 

Qui pius, prudens, humilis, 
pudicus, 

Sobriam duxit sine labe vi- 
ta m, 

Donee humanos animavit 

aurae 
Spiritus artus. 

Cujus ob praestans meritum 

frequentur, 
JEgra quae passim jacuere 

membra, 
Viribus morbi domitis, sa- 

luti 
Restituuntur. 

Noster hinc illi chorus obse- 

quentem 
Concinit laudem, celebresque 

pa l mas, 

Ut piis ejus precibus juvemur 
Omne per aevum. 

Sit salus illi, dec us atque 
virtus, 

Qui super coeli solio coruscans, 



This day receives those hon- 
ors which are his, 
High in the realms of light. 

Holy and innocent were all 
his ways, 

Sweet, temperate, unstained; 

His life was prayer, his every 
breath was praise, 

While breath to him re- 
mained. 

Ofttimes his merits high, in 
every land, 

In cures have been dis- 
played ; 

And still does health return 

at his command 
To many a frame decayed. 

Therefore to him triumphant 

praise we pay, 
And yearly songs renew ; 
Praying our glorious saint for 

us to pray, 
AH the long ages through. 

To God, of ail the centre and 

the source, 
Be power and glory given, 



376 



VESPERS. 



Totius mundi sericm guber- Who sways the mighty world 

nat through all its course, 

Trinus et unus. Amen. From the bright throne of 

heaven. Amen. 

First Vespers. 

V. Amavit eum Domi- F. The Lord loved 
nus, et ornavit eum. him, and adorned him. 

it. Stoiam gloria} in- R. And clothed him 
duit earn. with a robe of glory. 

Second Vespers. 



V. Justum deduxit Do- 
minus per vias recta s. 

R. Et ostendit illi rcg- 
num Dei. 



F. The Lord led the 
just through right ways. 

R. And showed him 
the kingdom of God. 



OF CONFESSORS BISHOPS. 



First vespers : 
following : 



in the second vespers, the last psalm is the 



PSALMUS CXXXI. 

MEMENTO, Domine, 
David, * et omnis 
mansuetudinis ejus ; 

Sicut juravit Domino, * 
votum vovit Deo Jacob : 

Si introiero in taber- 
naculum domus mese ; * si 
ascendero in lectum strati 
mei ; 

Si dedero somnum ocu- 
lis meis, * et palpebris 
meis dormitationem, 

Et requiem temporibus 
meis, donee mveniam lo- 
cum Domino, * taberna- 
culum Deo Jacob. 



PSALM CXXXI. 

O Lord, remember Da- 
vid, and all his meek- 
ness ; 

How he swore to the 
Lord ; he vowed a vow 
to the God of Jacob : 

If I shall enter into the 
tabernacle of my house ; 
if I shall go up into the 
bed wherein I lie ; 

If I shall give sleep to 
my eyes, or slumber to 
nry eyelids, 

Or rest to 1113' temples, 
until I find out a place for 
the Lord, a tabernacle for 
the God of Jacob. 



VESPERS. 



377 



Ecce audivimus earn in 
Ephrata ; invenimus earn 
in campis sylvee. 

Introibimus in taber- 
naculum ejus ; * adorabi- 
mus in loco, ubi steterunt 
pedes ejus. 

Surge, Domine, in re- 
quiem tuam, * tu et area 
sanctificationis tuse. 

Sacerdotes tui induan- 
tur justitiam ; * et sancti 
tui exultent. 

Propter David servum 
tuum, * non avertas fa- 
ciem Christi tui. 

J uravit Dominus Da- 
vid veritatem, et non frus- 
trabitur earn : * De fructu 
ventris tui ponam super 
sedem tuam. 

Si custodierint filii tui 
testamentum meum, * et 
testimonia mea haee, quae 
docebo eos, 

Et filii eorum usque in 
sseculum, * sedebunt su- 
per sedem tuam. 

Quoniam elegit Domi- 
nus 8 ion ; * elegit earn in 
liabitationem sibi. 

Haec requies mea in sse- 
culum saeculi ; * hie habi- 
tabo, quoniam elegi earn. 

Viduam ejus benedi- 



Behold, we have heard 
of it in Ephrata ; we haA'e 
found it in the fields of 
the wood. 

We will go into his tab- 
ernacle ; we will adore in 
the place where his feet 
stood. 

Arise, O Lord, into thy 
resting-place, thou and 
the ark which thou hast 
sanctified. 

Let thy priests be 
clothed with justice ; and 
let thy saints rejoice. 

For thy servant David's 
sake, turn not away the 
face of thy Anointed. 

The Lord hath sworn 
truth to David, and he will 
not make it void : Of the 
fruit of thy womb I will 
set upon thy throne. 

If thy children will keep 
my covenant, and these 
my testimonies which I 
shall teach them, 

Their children also for 
evermore shall sit upon 
thy throne. 

For the Lord hath cho- 
sen Sion ; he hath chosen 
it for his dwelling. 

This is my rest forever 
and ever ; here will I dwell, 
for I have chosen it. 

Blessing, I will bless 



378 



VESPERS. 



cens benedicam : * patipe- 
res ejus saturabo panibus. 

Sacerdotes ejus incln- 
ara salutari ; * et sancti 
ejus exultatione cxulta- 
buut. 

Illuc producam eornu 
David : * paravi lucernam 
Christo raeo. 

Inimicos ejus induam 
confusione ; * super ip- 
sum autem efflorebit Banc- 
tiiicatio mea. 

Gloria, etc. 



her widow : I will sat- 
isfy her poor with bread. 

I will clothe her priests 
with salvation ; and her 
saints shall rejoice With 
exceeding great joy. 

There will I bring forth 
a horn to David : I have 
prepared a lamp for my 
Anointed. 

His enemies I will clot he 
with confusion ; but upon 
him shall my sanctiiica- 
tion llourish. 

Glory, &c. 



OF VIRGINS. 



The psalms as on festivals of the Blessed Virgin, p. 358. 



JESU, corona virginum, 
Quern Mater ilia concipit, 
Quae sola Virgo parturit, 
H«c vota clemens accipe. 



Qui pergis inter lilia, 
Septus choreis virginum 
Sponsus decorus gloria, 
Sponsisque reddens pramiia. 



Quocumque tendes, virgines 
Sequuntur, atque laudibus 
Post te canentes cursitant, 
Hymnosque dulces personant. 



Thou crown of all the virgin 

choir, 

That holy Mother's virgin 
Son. 

Who is, alone of woman- 
kind, 

Mother and Virgin both in 
one, — 

Encircled by thy virgin band, 
Amid the lilies thou art found, 
For thy pure brides, with lav- 
ish hand, 
Scattering immortal graces 
round. 

And still, wherever thou dost 
bend 

Thy lovely steps, glorious 
King, 

Virgins upon thy steps at- 
tend, 

And hymns to thy high glory 
sing. 



VESPERS. 



379 



Te deprecamur supplices, 
Jsostris ut addas sensibus, 
Nescire prorsus omnia 
Corruptiuuis vulnera. 



Virtus, honor, laus, gloria 
Deo Patri cum Filio, 
Sancto si mill Faraclito, 
In sseculorum sascula. 

Amen. 



Keep us, purity divine, 
From every least corruption 
free, 

Our every sense from sin 
refine, 

And purify our souls for thee. 

To God the Father, and the 
Son, 

All honor, glory, praise be 
given, 

With thee, O holy Paraclete, 
Henceforth by all in earth 
and heaven. Amen. 



First Vespers. 
V. Specie tua, et pill- V. With 



chritudine tua. 

II. Intende, prospere 
procede, et regna. 



thy beauty 
and comeliness. 

R. Set out, proceed 
prosperously, and reign. 



Second Vespers. 

V. Diffusa est gratia V. Grace is poured 

in labiis tuis. abroad in thy lips. 

R. Propterea bene- R. Therefore God hath 

dixit te Deus in sternum, blessed thee forever. 



OF 



FORTE M virili pectore 
Laudemus omnes femi 
nam, 

Qua? sanctitatis gloria 
Ubique fulget inclyta. 



HOLY WOMEN. 

ilnis as the preceding. 

High let us all our voices raise 
In that heroic woman's praise, 
Whose name, with saintly 

glory bright, 
Shines in the starry realms 
of light. 



Haec sancto amore saucia. 
hum mundi amorem nox- 
ium 



Filled with a pure, celestial 
glow, 

She spurned all love of things 
below, 



VESPERS . 



380 

Horrescit, ad coelestia 
Iter peregit arduum. 



Carnem domans jejuniis, 
Dulcique menteni pabulo 
Orationis nutriens, 
Coeli potitur gaudiis. 



Rex Christe virtus fortium, 
Qui magna solus efficis, 
Hujus precatu quaesumus, 
Audi benignus supplices. 



Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Ejusque soli Filio, 
Cum Spiritu Paraclito, 
Nunc et per omne saeculum. 

Amen. 



And, heedless here on earth 
to stay. 

Climbed to the skies her toil- 
some way. 

With fasts her body she sub- 
dued, 

But filled her soul with 
prayer's sweet food; 

In other wcrlds she tastes the 
bliss 

For which she left the joys 
of this. 

Christ, the strength of all 

the strong, 
To whom all our best deeds 

belong, 

Through her prevailing 

prayers on high, 
In mercy hear thy people's 

cry. 

To God the Father, with the 
Son, 

And Holy Spirit, Three in 
One, 

Be glory while the ages flow, 
From all above, and all be- 
low. Amen. 



First 

V. Specie tua, et pul- 
chritudine tua. 

R. Intende, prospere 
procede, et regna. 

Second 

V. Diffusa est gratia 
in labiis tuis. 

R. Propterea benedix- 
it te Deus in seternuni. 



espers. 

V. With thy beauty 
and comeliness. 

R. Set out, proceed 
prosperously, and reign. 

Vespers. 

V. Grace is poured 
abroad in thy lips. 

R. Therefore God hath 
blessed thee forever. 



VESPERS. 



381 



OF ALL 

In- Second Vespers, the last 

PLACARE, Christe servu- 
lis, 

Quibus Patris clementiam 
Tuse ad tribunal gratiae 
Patrona Virgo postulate 



Et vos beata, per novem 
Distincta gyros agmina, 
Antiqua cum praesentibus, 
Putura damna pellite. 



Apostoli cum vatibus 
A pud severum Judicem, 
Veris reorum tietibus 
Exposcite indulgentiam. 



Vos purpurati martyres, 
Vos candidati praemio 
Confessionis, exules 
Vocate nos in patriam. 



Chorea casta yirginum, 
Et quos eremus incolas 
Transmisit astris coelitum 
Locate nos in sedibus. 



Auferte gentem perfidiam 
Credentium de finibus ; 



SAIXTS. 

psalm is Credidi^ page 363. 

O Christ, thy guilty people 

spare ; 

Lo. bending at thy gracious 
throne, 

Thy Virgin Mother pours her 
prayer. 

Imploring pardon for her own. 

Ye angels, happy evermore, 
Who in your circles nine as- 
cend, 

As ye have guarded us before, 
So still from harm our steps 
defend. 

Ye prophets and apostles high, 
Behold our penitential tears ; 
And plead for us when death 
is nigh, 

And our all-searching Judge 
appears. 

Ye martyrs all, a purple band, 
And confessors, a white-robed 
train, 

O. call us to our native land, 
Prom this our exile, back 
again. 

And ye, O choirs of virgins 

chaste, 

Receive us to your seats on 
high, 

With hermits, whom the des- 
ert waste 
Sent up of old into the sky. 

Drive from the flock, O spirits 
blest. 

The false and faithless race 
away j 



382 



VESPERS. 



Ut unus omnes unieum 
Ovile nos Pastor regat. 



Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Natoquc Patris unico, 
Sancto simul Paraclito, 
In sempiterna Baecula. 

Amen. 

First 

V. Laetamini in Do- 
mino, et exultate justi. 

jB. Et gloriamini om- 
nes recti corde. 

Second 

V Exultabunt sancti 
in gloria. 

JR. Lsetabuntur in cu- 
bilibus suis. 



That all within one fold may- 
rest, 

Secure beneath one Shep- 
herd's sway. 

To God the Father glory be, 
And to his sole-begotten Son ; 
The same, O Holy Ghost, to 
thee. 

While everlasting ages run. 

Amen. 

Vespers. 

V. Be glad. O ye just, 
and rejoice in the Lord. 

11. And be joyful, all 
ye that are right of heart. 

Vespers. 

V. Thy saints shall 
rejoice in glory. 

JR. And shall be joy- 
ful in their beds. 



IX AE 

Second 

CKEATOR alme siderum, 
JEterna lux credentium, 
Jesu Kedemptor omnium, 
Intende votis supp Ileum. 



Qui dsemonis ne fraudibus 
Periret orbis, impetu 
Amoris actus, languid! 
Mundi medela factus es. 



VENT. 

Vespers.* 

Creator of the starry frame, 
Eternal light of all who live, 
Jesu. Redeemer of mankind, 
An ear to thy poor suppliants 
give. 

When man was sunk in sin 

and death, 
Lost in the depth of Satan's 

snare, 

Love brought thee down to 

cure our ills, 
By taking of those ills a share. 



VESPERS, 



383 



Commune qui mundi nefas 
Ut expiares, ad. crucem 
E Virginia sacrario 
Intacta prodis Yictima. 



Thou, for the sake of guilty 
men, 

Causing thine own pure blood 
to flow, 

Didst issue from thy virgin 
shrine, 

And to the cross a Victim <ro. 



Cujus potestas glorias, 
Nomenque cum primumsonat, 
Et coelites et inferi 
Tremente curvantur genu. 



So great the glory of thy 
might, 

If we but chance thy name to 
sound, 

At once ail heaven and hell 
unite 

In bending low with awe pro- 
found. 



Te deprecamur ultima? 
Magnum diei Judicem: 
Ann is supernal gratia 
Defende nos ab hostibus. 



Great Judge of all, in that 

last day. 
Wheo friends shall fail, and 

foes combine. 
Bo present then with us, we 

pray. 

To guard us with thy arm 
divine. 



Virtus, honor, laus. gloria 
Deo Patri cum Filio. 
Sancto simul Paraclito, 
In sa?cuiorum sascuia. 

Amen. 



To G-od the Father, and the 
Son, 

All praise and power, and 

glory be ; 
TTith thee, O holy Comforter, 
Henceforth through all eter- 

nitv. Amen. 



V. Borate coeti desu- 
per, et nubes pluant Jus- 
tum. 

i?. Aperiatur terra, et 
germinet Salvatorejn- 



V. Te heavens, drop 
down dew from above, 
and let the clouds rain 
down the Just One. 

R. Let file earth open 
and bud forth the Saviour- 



384 



VESPERS. 



ON CHRISTMAS DAY. 

First Vespers : * Second Vespers, psalms, Di.rii Domtnus, page 343; Confitebor, 
page 344; Beat as rtr, page 346. 



PSALMUS CXXIX. 

DE profundi s clamavi 
ad te, D omine : * 
Domine, exaudi vocem 
meam. 

Fiant aures tua? inten- 
dentes, * in vocem depre- 
cation is roeae. 

Si iniquitates observa- 
veris. Domine. * Domine, 
quis sustiiiebit ? 

Quia apud te propitia- 
tio est : * et propter le- 
gem tuam sustinui te, 
Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus : * speravit ani- 
ma mea in Domino. 

A eustodia matutina 
usque ad noctem, * spe- 
ret Israel in Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum 
misericordia,* et copiosa 
apud cum redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel, 
* ex omnibus iniquitati- 
bus ejus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



PSALM CXXIX. 

Out of the depths I 
have cried to thee, O 
Lord : Lord, hear my 
voice. 

Let thy ears be atten- 
tive to the voice of my 
supplication. 

If thou, O Lord, wilt 
mark iniquities, Lord, who 
shall stand it ? 

For with thee there is 
merciful forgiveness : and 
by reason of thy law. I 
have waited for thee, O 
Lord. 

My sold hath relied on 
his word : my soul hath 
hoped in the Lord. 

From the morning watch 
even until night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy, and with 
him plentiful redemp 
tion. 

And he shall redeem 
Israel from all his iniqui- 
ties. 

Glory, &c. 



Fifth psalm, Memento, Domine, page 376. 



VESPERS. 



385 



CHRISTMAS. 



JESU Redemptor omnium, 
Quern lucis ante originem 

Parem paternas gloriae 
Pater supremus edidit. 

Tu lumen et splendor Patris, 
Tu spes perennis omnium, 
Intende quas fundunt preces 
Tui per orbem servuli. 



Memento rerum Conditor, 
Xostri quod olim corporis, 
Sacrata ab alvo Virginis 
Nascendo, formam sumpseris. 



Testatur hoc prsesens dies, 
Currens per anni circulum, 
Quod solus e sinu Patris 
Mundi salus adveneris. 



Hunc astra, tellus, asquora, 
Hunc omne, quod coelo sub- 
est, 

Salutis Auctorem novae 
Novo salutat c antic o. 



Et nos, beata quos sacri 
Rigavit unda sanguinis, 

25 



Jesu, Redeemer of the world, 
Who, ere the earliest dawn 

of light, 
Wast from eternal ages born, 
Immense in glory as in might. 

Immortal Hope of all man- 
kind, 

In whom the Father's face we 
see, 

Hear thou the prayers thy 

people pour. 
This day, throughout the 

world, to thee. 

Remember, Creator Lord. 
That in the Virgin's sacred 
womb 

Thou wast conceived, and of 

her flesh 
Didst our mortality assume. 

This ever-blessed recurring 
day 

Its witness bears, that all 
alone, 

From thy own Father's bosom 
forth, 

To save the world thou earnest 
down. 

day, to which the seas and 
sky, 

And earth and heaven glad 
welcome sing : 

O day, which healed our mis- 
ery, 

And brought on earth salva- 
tion's King. 

TTe too, Lord, who have 

been cleansed 
In thy own font of blood 

divine, 



386 



VESPERS. 



Natalis ob diem tui 
Hymni tributuru solvimus. 



Jesu, tibi sit gloria, 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. Amen. 

First 

V~. Crastina die dele- 
bitur iniquitas terras. 

H. Et regnavit super 
nos Salvator rnundi. 

Second 

V. Notum fecit Do- 
minus. Alleluia. 

H. Salutare suum. Al- 
leluia. 



Offer the tribute of sweet 
song 

On this blessed natal day of 
thine. 

O Jesu, born of Virgin bright, 
Immortal glory be to thee ; 
Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 

Vesjyers. 

V. To-morrow the in- 
iquity of the earth shall 
be blotted out. 

H. And the Saviour 
of the world shall reign 
over us. 

Vespers. 

V. The Lord hath 
made known. Alleluia. 

H. His salvation. Al- 
leluia. 



ANTHEM. 



Adeste fideles, 

La?ti thumphantes, 
Yenite, venite in Bethlehem. 
Natum videte 

Regem angelorum. 

Venite, adoremus, 

Venite, adoremus, 
Venite, adoremus Dominum. 



Deum de Deo, 
Lumen de Lumine, 

Gestant puellae viscera. 
Deum Verum 

Genitum, non factum. 
Venite, etc. 



With hearts truly grateful, 
Come, all ye faithful, 
To Jesus, to Jesus in Bethle- 
hem. 

See Christ your Saviour, 
Heaven's greatest favor ; 
Let's hasten to adore him, 
Let's hasten to adore him, 
Let's hasten to adore him, 
Our God and King. 

God to God equal, 
Light of Light eternal; 
Carried in Virgin's e'er spot- 
less womb, 
He all preceded, 
Begotten, not created. 
Let's hasten, &c. 



YESPEES. 



387 



Cantet nunc Io, 
Chorus angelorum, 

Cantet nunc aula celestium, 
Gloria 

In excelsis Deo ; 
Yenite, etc. 



Ergo, qui natus 

Die hodierna, 
Jesu, tibi sit gloria. 

Patris seterni 
Yerbum caro factum. 

Yenite, etc. 



Angels now praise him. 
Loud their voices raising; 
The heavenly mansions with 

joy now ring; 
To Him who's most holy 
Be honor, praise, and glory. 
Let's hasten, &c. 

To Jesus, this day born, 
Grateful homage return ; 
'Tis he who all heavenly gifts 

doth bring ; 
Word increated, 
To our flesh united. 
Let's hasten, &c. 



THE EPIPHANY. 



CRUDELIS Herodes, De- 
um 

Regem venire quid times ? 
Non eripit mortalia, 
Qui regna dat coelestia. 



cruel Herod, why thus fear 
Thy King and God who comes 
below ? 

No earthly crown comes he to 
take, 

Who heavenly kingdoms doth 
bestow. 



Ibant Magi, quam viderant, 
Stellam sequentes praeviam: 
Lumen requirunt lumine, 
Deum fatentur munere. 



The wiser Magi see the star, 
And follow as it leads before : 
By its pure ray they seek the 
"Light. 

And with their gifts that Light 
adore. 



Lavacra puri gurgitis 
Coelestis Agnus attigit : 
Peccata, quae non detulit, 
Nos abluendo sustulit. 



Behold at length the heavenly 
Lamb 

Baptized in Jordan's sacred 
flood ; 

There consecrating by his 
touch 

Water to cleanse us in his 
blood. 



Novum genus potential : 
Aquae rubescunt hydriae. 



But Cana saw her glorious 
Lord 

Begin his miracles divine : 



388 



VESPERS. 



Vinumque jussa fundere, 
Mutavit unda originem. 



Jesu, tibi sit gloria, 
Qui apparuisti gentibus, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In senipiterna saecula. 

Amen. 



When water, reddening at his 
word, 

Flowed forth obedient in wine. 

To thee. Jesu, who thyself 
Hast to the Gentile world dis- 
played, 

Praise, with the Father ever- 
more, 

And with the Holy Ghost, be 
paid. Amen. 



First and Second Vesp&rs. 
Y. Re.ses Tharsis et V. The kings of Thar- 



insulse munera offerent. 

It. Eeges Arabnm et 
Saba dona adducent. 



sis and the isles shall give 
presents. 

It. The kings of the 
Arabians and Saba shall 



bring gifts. 



THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS.* 



JESU dulcis mem or in, 
Dans vera cordi gaudia, 
Sed super mel et omnia 
Ejus dulcis prsesentia. 



Nil canitur suavius, 
Nil auditur jucundius, 
Nil cogitatur dulcius, 
Quam Jesus Dei Filius. 



Jesu spes poenitentibus, 
Quam pius es petentibus ! 
Quam bonus te quaerentibus ! 
Sed quid invenientibus ! 



Jesu, the very thought of thee 
With sweetness fills my 
breast ; 

But sweeter far thy face to 

see, 

And in thy presence rest. 

Nor voice can sing, nor heart 

can frame, 
Nor can the memory find, 
A sweeter sound than thy 

blest name, 
Saviour of mankind. 

hope of every contrite 

heart, 
O joy of all the meek, 
To those who fall, how kind 

thou art! 
How good to those who seek! 



VESPERS. 



389 



Nec lingua valet dicere, 
Xee littera exprimere, 
Expertus potest credere, 
Quid sit Jesum diligere. 



But what to those who find? 

All! this 
Xor tongue nor pen can show ; 
The love of Jesus, what it is, 
None but his loved ones know. 



Sis Jesu nostrum gaudium, 
Qui es futurus prsemium : 
Sit nostra in te gloria, 
Per cuncta semper saecula. 

Amen. 



Jesu, our only joy be thou, 
As thou our prize wilt be : 
Jesu, be thou our glory now, 
And through eternity. 

Amen. 



First and Second Vespers. 



V. Sit nomen Domini 
benedicturn. Alleluia. 

R. Ex hoc nunc, et 
usque in saeculum. Alle- 
luia. " 



V. Blessed be the name 
of the Lord. Alleluia. 

R . From this time forth 
for evermore. Alleluia. 



A 



IX LEXT. 

Second Vespers. 4 



"CD I, benigne Conditor, 
Xostra preces cum fleti- 



bus 

In hoc sacro jejunio 
Fusas quadragenario. 



Scrutator alme cordium, 
Infirma tu scis virium : 
Ad te reversis exhibe 
Kemissionis gratiam. 



Multnm quidem peccavimus, 
Sed parce confitentibus : 
Ad nominis laudem tui 
Confer medelam languidis. 



Thou loving Maker of man- 
kind, 

Before thy throne we pray 

and weep ; 
O, strengthen us with grace 

divine, 

Duly this sacred Lent to keep. 

Searcher of hearts, thou dost 
our ills 

Discern, and all our weak- 
ness know : 

Again to thee with tears we 
turn ; 

Again to us thy mercy show. 

Much have we sinned ; but we 
confess 

Our guilt, and all our faults 

deplore : 
for the praise of thy great 

name, 

Our fainting souls to health 
restore. 



390 



VESPERS. 



Concede nostrum conteri 
Corpus per abstinentiam, 
Culpae ut relinquant pabulum 
Jejuna corda criminum. 

Praasta beat a Trinitas, 
Concede simplex Unitas : 
Ut fructuosa sint tuis 
Jejuniorum munera. 

Amen. 



V. Angelis suis Deus 
mandavit de te. 

R. Ut custodiant te in 
omnibus viis tuis. 



And grant us, while by fasts 

we strive 
This mortal body to control, 
To fast from all the food of sin, 
And so to purify the soul. 

Hear us. O Trinity thrice 

blest ; 

Sole Unity, to thee we cry : 
Vouchsafe us from these fasts 
below 

To reap immortal fruit on 
high. Amen. 

V. God hath given his 
angels charge over thee. 

R. To keep thee in all 
thy wa}'s. 



PASSION AND PALM SUNDAY. 




EXILLA Regis prode- 
unt : 



Fulget crucis mysterium, 
Qua vita mortem pcrtulit, 
Et morte vitam protulit. 



Porth comes the standard of 

the King : 
All hail, thou mystery adored ! 
Hail, cross on which the Life 

himself 

Died, and by death our life 
restored ; 



Quae vulnerata lanceaa 
Mucrone diro, criminum 
Ut nos lavaret sordibus, 
Manavit unda et sanguine. 



On which our Saviour's holy 
side. 

Pent open with a cruel spear, 
Of blood and water poured a 
stream, 

To wash us from defilement 
clear. 



Impleta sunt, quae concinit 
David fideli carmine, 
Dicendo nationibus : 
Eegnavit a ligno Deus. 



O sacred wood, in thee ful- 
filled 

"Was holy David's truthful lay, 
Which told the world that 

from a tree 
The Lord should all the na- 
tions sway. 



VESPERS. 



391 



Arbor decora et fulgida, 
Ornata regis purpura, 
Electa digno stipite 
Tarn sancta membra tangere. 



Most royally impurpled o'er, 
How beautiful thy stem doth 

shine ! • 
How glorious was its lot to 

touch 

Those limbs so holy and di- 
vine I 



Beata, cujus brachiis 
Pretium pepenclit saeculi, 
Statera facta corporis, 
Tulitque prasdam tartari. 



Thrice blest, upon whose arms 
outstretched 

The Saviour of the world re- 
clined ! 

Balance sublime, upon whose 
beam 

Was weighed the ransom of 
mankind ! 



O crux, ave, spes Ulrica, 
Hoc passionis tempore 
Piis adauge gratiam, 
Reisque dele crimina. 



Te, fons salutis Trinitas, 
Collaudet omnis spiritus : 
Quibus crucis victoriani 
Largiris, adde premium. 

Amen. 



J 7 ". Eripe me, Domine, 
ab homine malo. 

B. A viro iniqno eripe 
me. 



Hail, cross, thou only hope 

of man ! 
Hail on this holy passion day ! 
To saints increase the grace 

they have ; 
Prom sinners purge their guilt 

away. 

Salvation's spring, blest 

Trinity, 
Be praise to thee through 

earth and skies : 
Thou through the cross the 

victory 

Dost give ; O, also give the 
prize ! Amen. 

V. Deliverme,OLord, 
from the wicked man. 

B. And save me from 
the evil-doer. 



STAB AT MATER. 

Stabat Mater dolorosa Witness of the Crucifixion, 

Juxta crucem lacrymosa, Mary, gazing, silent, grieving, 
Dum pendebat Pilius. Saw her son in agony. 



392 



VESPERS. 



Cujus animam gementem, 
Contristatam, et dolentem, 
Pertransivit gladius. 



quam tristis et afflicta 
Fuit ilia benedieta 

Plater Unigeniti. 
Qua? moerebat, et dolebat, 
Pia Mater, dum videbat 

Kati jxDenas inclyti. 



Quis est homo qui non fleret, 
Matrem Christi si videret 

In tanto supplicio ? 
Quis non posset contristari, 
Christi Matrem eontemplari 

Dolentem cum Filio ? 



Pro peccacis suae gentis 
Vidit Jesum in tormentis, 

Et flagellis subditum. 
Yidit suum dulcem natum 
Moriendo desolatum, 

Dum emisit spiritum. 



Eia Mater, fons amoris, 
Me sentire vim doloris 

Fac, ut tecum lugeam. 
Fac ut ardeat cor meum 
In amando Christum Deum, 

Ut sibi complaceam. 



Sword of anguish, sword pre- 
dicted, 

Pierced her soul with grief 
and sadness, 
Seeing Jesus suffering. 

O how sad and how afflicted — 

Mary sobbing — Jesus bleed- 
ing- 
Jesus dying, desolate. 

How she sorrowed, wept, and 
trembled ! 

Seeing Jesus — Jesus groan- 
ing. 

Dreadful tortures suffering. 

Who is he with heart so cal- 
lous, 

Who would not be filled with 
sorrow, 
Witnessing her agony? 

"Who is lie would not be sad- 
dened, 

Seeing Mary, blessed Mother, 
Sharing Jesus' punishment? 

For the sins of all his people 
Jesus suff'ring every tor- 
ment, 

Suffering although inno- 
cent — 
Mary saw her son beloved 
Dying, desolate, forsaken, 

Life for us surrendering. 

Oh, my mother, loving foun- 
tain, 

Grant that I may feel thy sor- 
row, 

Grant that I may weep with 
thee. 

Kindled be my heart within 
me, 

Loving Jesus, ever loving, 
Praising him eternally. 



VESPERS. 



393 



Sancta Mater, istud agas, 
Crucifixi fige plagas 

Cordi meo valido. 
Tui nati vulnerati, 
Tarn dignati pro me pati, 

Poenas mecuni divide. 



Fac me tecum pie flere, 
Crucifixo condolere, 

Donee ego vixero. 
Juxta crucem tecum stare, 
Et me tibi sociare 

In planctu desidero. 



Virgo virginum prseclara. 
Mihi jam non sis aniara ; 

Fac me tecum plangere. 
Fac ut portem Cliristi mor- 
tem, 

Passionis fac consortem, 
Et plagas recolere. 

Fac me plagis vulnerari, 
Fac me cruce inebriari, 

Et cruore Filii. 
Elammis ne urar succensus, 
Per te, Virgo, sim defensus 

In die judicii. 



Christe, cum sit hinc exire 
Da per Matrem me venire 
Ad palmam victoria?. 



Holy Mother, pierced with 
sorrow, 

Let me share thy dolors with 
thee, 

Let me share thy penalty. 
'Twas for me that Jesus suf- 
fered, 

'Twas for me he paid the ran- 
som, 

I should share the punish- 
ment. 

Let me, then, let me suffer, 
Let me weep with him who 

suffered, 
Let me weep while tears 

will flow. 
May I ever stand beside thee, 
Stand beneath the cross of 

Jesus, 

Supplicating, sorrowful. 

Maid Immaculateand clement, 
Beautiful in grief profoundest, 
Let me share thy suffering. 
Let me die with Jesus dying, 
Let me share his pains and 
dolors, 

Following him to Paradise. 

May his cruel wounds af- 
flict me, 
May his precious blood re- 
fresh me, 
Shed for me so lovingly. 
Mary Virgin, tender Mother, 
Be my loving intercessor 
On the dreadful Judgment 
Day. 

May the cross of Christ sus- 
tain me, 

May the death of Christ re- 
vive me, 
Now and through eternity. 



394 



YESPERS. 



When at last the grave re- 
ceives me, 
May my soul shine forth in 
glory 
Ever, ever glorious. 

Amen. 

EASTER. 

Second Vespers.* 

Ant. T ToEC dies, quam Ant. This is the day 
(x.) X X fecit Domi- which the Lord hath 
nus : exultemus et laete- made : let us be glad 
mur in ea. and rejoice in it. 

HYMN. 

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. 
O filii et filise, 
Rex coelestis, Rex gloria?, 
Morte surrexit hodie. Alleluia ; 

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. 

Et mane prima Sabbati, 

Ad ostium monumenti, 

Aecesserunt diseipuli. Alleluia, etc. 

Et Maria Magdalene, 
Et Jacobi et Salome, 
Venerunt corpus ungere. Alleluia, etc. 

In albis sedens angelus 

Praedixit mulieribus : 

In Galilaea est Dominus. Alleluia, etc. 

Et Joannes apostolus, 
Cucurrit Petro citius, 
Monumento venit prius. Alleluia, etc. 

Discipulis astantibus, 

In medio stetit Christus, 

Dicens, Pax vobis omnibus. Alleluia, etc. 

Ut intellexit Didymus, 
Quia surrexerat Jesus, 
Remansit fide dubius. Alleluia, etc. 



Quando corpus morietur, 
Eac ut animaa donetur 
Paradisi gloria. Amen. 



VESPERS. 



395 



Vide, Thoma, vide latus, 
Vide pedes, vide manus ; 
Noli esse incredulus. Alleluia, etc. 

Quando Thomas vidit Christum 

Pedes, manus, latus suum, 

Dixit, Tu es Deus meus. Alleluia, etc. 

Beata qui non viderunt, 
Et firmiter crediderunt, 
Vitam a3ternam habebunt. Alleluia, etc. 

In hoc festo sanctissimo, 

Sit laus et jubilatio, 

BenediCamus Domino. Alleluia, etc. 

Ex quibus nos humillimas, 
Devotas atque debitas, 
Deo dicamus gratias. Alleluia. 
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. 



LOW SUNDAY. 



AD regias Agni dapes 
Stolis amicti candidis, 
Post transitum Maris Ilubri 
Chris to canamus Principi. 



Divina cujus charitas 
Sacrum, propinat sanguinem, 
Almique membra corporis 
Amor sacerdos immolat. 



Now at the Lamb's high royal 

feast, 

In robes of saintly white we 
sing, 

Through the Red Sea in safety 

brought 
By Jesus, our immortal King. 

O depth of love, for us he 
drinks 

The chalice of his agony; 
For us a Victim on the cross 
He meekly lays him down to 
die. 



Sparsum cruorem postibus 
Vestator horret angelus : 
Fugitque divisum mare : 
Merguntur hostes fluetibus. 



And as th' avenging angel 
passed 

Of old the blood-besprinkled 
door ; 

As the cleft sea a passage gave, 
Then closed to whelm th' Egyp- 
tians o'er ; 



390 



VESPERS. 



Jam Pascha nostrum Christus 

est, 

Paschalis idem Victima, 
Et pura puris mentibus 
Sineeritatis azyma. 



O vera coeli Victima, 
Subjecta cui sunt tartara, 
Soluta mortis vincula, 
Recepta vitae prsemia. 



Victor subactis infcris 
Trophaea Christus pxplicat, 
Coeloque aperto, subditum 
Begem tenebrarum traliit. 



Ut sis pcrenne mcntibus 
Pasehalc Jesu gaudium, 
A morte (lira crimmum 
Vitas renatos libera. 



Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Et Filio, qui a mortuis 
Surrexit, ac Paraclito 
In sempiterna saecula. 

Amen. 



So Christ, our Paschal Sacri- 
fice, 

Has brought us s;ife all perils 

through ; 
While for unleavened bread 

we need 
But heart sincere and purpose 

true. 

Hail, purest Victim Heaven 
could find. 

The powers of hell to over- 
throw, 

Who didst the chains of death 
destroy. 

Who dost the prize of life be- 
stow. 

Hail, Victor Christ, hail, risen 
King ; 

To thee alone belongs t lie 
crown. 

Who hast the heavenly gates 

unbarred, 
And dragged the prince of 

darkness down. 

O Jesu, from the death of sin 
Keep us, we pray; so shalt 

thou be 
The everlasting paschal joy 
Of all the souls new born in 

thee. 

Now to the Father and the Son, 
Who rose from death, be glory 
given ; 

With thee, O holy Comforter, 
Henceforth by all in earth and 
heaven. Amen. 



T 7 ". Mane nobiscum, T 7 ". Abide with us, 

Domine. Alleluia. Lord. Alleluia. 

It, Quoniam advespe- 7?. For it is now to- 

raseit. Alleluia. wards evening. Alleluia. 



VESPERS. 



397 



ASCENSION.* 



SALUTIS humanaa Sator, 
Jesu voluptas cordium, 
Orbis redempti conditor, 
Et casta lux amantium. 



thou pure light of souls that 
love, 

True joy of every human 
breast, 

Sower of life's immortal seed, 
Our Maker and liedeemer 
blest. 



Qua victus es dementia, 
Ut nostra ferres crimina ; 
Mortem subires innocens, 
A morte nos ut tolleres ? 



What wondrous pity thee o'er- 
came, 

To make our guilty load thine 
own, 

And, sinless, suffer death and 
shame, 

For our transgressions to 
atone ! 



Perrumpis infernum chaos 
Vinctis catenas detrahis, 
Victor triumpho nobili 
Ad dexteram Patris sedes. 



Thou, bursting Hades open 
wide, 

Didst all the captive souls un- 
chain ; 

And thence to thy dread Fa- 
ther's side 

"With glorious pomp ascend 
again. 



Te cogat indulgentia, 
Ut damna nostra sarcias : 
Tuique vultus compotes 
Dites beato lumine. 



Tu dux ad astra, et semita, 
Sis meta nostris cordibus, 
Sis lacrymarum gaudium, 
Sis dulce vitas praamium. 

Amen. 



Jesu, may pity thee compel 
To heal the wounds of which 
we die ; 

And take us in thy light to 
dwell, 

Who for thy blissful presence 
sigh. 

Be thou our guide, be thou 

our goal ; 
Be thou our pathway to the 

skies ; 

Our joy, when sorrow fills the 
soul ; 

In death our everlasting prize. 



398 



VESPERS. 



First Vespers. 
V. Ascendit Deus in T r . God hath gone up 
jubilatione. Alleluia. with triumph. Alleluia. 

li. Et Dominus in H. And the Lord with 
voce tubae. Alleluia. the sound of the trumpet. 

Alleluia. 

Second Vespers. 

V. Dominus in ccelo. V. In heaven the Lord. 

Alleluia . Alleluia . 

JR. Paravit sedem su- 11. Hath prepared his 

am. Alleluia. throne. Alleluia. 



WHITSUNDAY, OR PENTECOST. 



VEXI, Creator Spiritus, 
Mentes tuorum visita, 
Iirrple superna gratia, 
Quae tu creasti pectora. 



Come. O Creator Spirit blest, 
And in our souls take up thy 
rest ; 

Come, with thy grace and 

heavenly aid, 
To fill the hearts which thou 

hast made. 



Qui diceris Paraclitus, 
Altissimi donum Dei, 
Fons vivus, ignis, charitas, 
Et spiritalis unctio. 



Great Paraclete, to thee we 
cry, 

O highest gift of God most 
high, 

O fount of life, fire of love, 
And sweet anointing from 
above. 



Tu septiformis nrnnere, 
Digitus Paternaa dexteraa, 
Tu rite promissum Patris, 
Sermone ditans guttura. 



Accende lumen sensibus, 
Infunde amorem cordibus, 



Thou in thy sevenfold gifts 

art known ; 
The finger of God's hand we 

own ; 

The promise of the Father 
thou, 

Who dost the tongue with 
power endow. 

Kindle our senses from above, 
And make our hearts o'erliow 
with love ; 



VESPERS. 



399 



Infirma nostri corporis 
Virtute firmans perpeti. 



Hostern repellas longius, 
Pacemque dones protinus ; 
Ductore sic te praevio 
Vitemus omne noxium. 



Per te sciamus da Patrem, 
Xoscamus atque Filium, 
Teque utriusque Spiritual 
Credamus omni tempore. 



Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Et Filio, qui a mortuis 
Surrexit, ac Paraclito, 
In saeculorum saecula. 

Amen. 

First 

V. Repleti sunt onmes 
Spiritu Sancto. Alleluia. 

R. Et coeperunt loqui. 
Alleluia. 

Second 

V. Loq.uebantur variis 
Unguis apostoli. Alleluia. 

R. Magnalia Dei. Air 
leluia,. . - 



With patience firm, and virtue 
high, 

The weakness of, our flesh, 
supply. 

Far from us drive the foe we 
dread, 

And grant us thy true peace 

instead ; 
So shall we not, with thee for 
guide, 

Turn from the path of life 
aside. 

O, may thy grace on us be-" 
stow. 

The Father and the Son to 
know. 

And thee through endless 

times confessed, 
Of both th' eternal Sxurit" 
blessed. 

All glory, while the ages run," 
Be to the Father, and the Son, 
Who rose from death; the 

same to thee, 
G Holy Ghost, eternallyr" 

Am em. 

Vespers. 

V. They were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost.' 
Alleluia. 

R. And began to speak. 
Alleluia. 



Vespers. 

V. The-apostles spake4n- 
divers^ tongues . Alleluia. 

JR. The wonderful works! 
pf God Alleluia..- , " 



400 



VESPERS. 



TRINITY SUNDAY. 



JAM sol recedit igncus, 
Tu lux perennis Unites, 
Kostris, beata Trinitas, 
Infunde amorem cordibus. 



Kow doth the fiery sun de- 
cline : 

Thou, Unity Eternal, shine ; 
Thou, Trinity, thy blessings 
pour, 

And make our hearts with 
love run o'er. 



Te mane laudum carmine, 
Te deprecamur vespere ; 
Digneris, ut te suppliees 
Laudemus inter coelites. 



Patri, simulque Filio, 
Tibique Sancte Spiritus, 
Sicut fuit, sit jugitcr 
Saeclum per omne gloria. 

Amen. 



V. Benedictiis es, Do- 
mine, in firmaruento coeli. 



JR. Et laudabilis 
gloriosus in saecula. 



et 



Thee in the hymns of morn 

we praise ; 
To thee our voice at eve we 

raise ; 

O, grant us, with thy saints 

on high, 
Thee through all time to 

glorify. 

Praise to the Father, with 

the Son, 
And Holy Spirit, Three in 

One; 

As ever was in ages past, 
And shall be so while nges 
last. Amen. 

J r . Blessed art thou, 
O Lord, in the firmament 
of heaven. 

i?. Worthy to be 
praised and magnified 
forever. 



CORPUS CHRISTL 

Psalms : Dixit Dominus, page 343 ; Confitcbor, page 34-t ; Credidi. page 363. 

PSALMUS CXXVII. PSALM CXXVII. 

BEATI omnes qui ti- Blessed are all they 

ment Dominum ; * that fear the Lord ; that 

qui ambulant in viis ejus, walk in his ways. 

Laborfcs mannum tu- For thou shalt eat the 



VESPERS 



arum quia mandueabis : * 
beatus es, et bene tibi 
erit. 

Uxor tua sicut vitas 
abundans, * in lateribus 
domus tuae. 

Filii tui sicut novelise 
oli varum, * in circuitu 
mensaa tiue. 

Ecce sic benedicetur 
homo, * qui timet Do- 
minium 

Benedicat tibi Dominus 
ex Sion ; * et videas bona 
Jerusalem omnibus diebus 
vitse tuae. 

Et videas filios filiorirm 
tuorum, * pacem super 
Israel. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

The fifth psalm, Lau> 



labors of thy hands. 
Blessed art thou, and it 
shall be well with thee. 

Thy wife as a fruitful 
vine on the sides of thy 
house. 

Thy children as olive 
plants round about thy 
table. 

Behold, thus shall the 
man be blessed that fear- 
eth the Lord. 

May the Lord bless 
thee out of Sion ; and 
mayest thou see the good 
things of Jerusalem all 
the days of thy life. 

And mayest thou see 
thy children's children, 
peace upon Israel. 
Glory, &c. 

:. Jerusalem, page 3G0. 



mux . 



Pange lingua gloriosi 
Corporis mysterium, 
Sanguinisque pretiosi, 
Quern in mundi prctium 
Fructus ventris gcnerosi 
Rex effudit gentium. 



Xobis datus, nobis natus 
Ex intacta Virgin e. 
Et in mundo conversatus, 
Sparso verbi semine, 



26 



Sing, my tongue, the Sav- 
iour's glory ; 

Of his flesh the mystery sing ; 

Of the blood, all price ex- 
ceeding. 

Shed by our immortal King, 

Destined, for the world's re- 
demption. 

From a noble womb to spring. 

Of a pure and spotless Virgin, 

Born for us on earth below. 

He. as Man witli man con- 
versing, 

Staid, the seeds of truth to 
sow : 



402 



VESPERS 



Sui morn? incolatus, 
Miro elausit ordine. 



Then he closed in solemn 

order 

TTondrouslv his life of woe. 



In supremae noctc? cceme. 
Kccumbens cum iratribus, 
Observata lege plene 
Cibis in legalibus. 
Cibum turbo? duodena* 
So dat suis nianibus. 



On the night of that last 
supper, 

Seated with his chosen band. 
He. the Paschal Victim eat- 
ing, 

First fulfils the law's com- 
mand. 

Then, as food to all his breth- 
ren. 

Gives himself with his own 
hand. 



Verbnm caro. panem rerum, 
Verba earn em efficit : 
Fitque sanguis Christi me- 

rum : 
Et si sensus deficit, 
Ad firmandum cor sincerum 
Sola fides sufficit. 



TTord made flesh, the bread 

of nature 
By his word to flesh he turns : 
"Wine into his blood he 

changes ; 
What though sense no change 

discerns ? 
Only be the heart in earnest, 
Faith her lesson quickly 

learns. 



Tantum ergo sacramentum 

Veneremur cernui : 

Ft antiquum docuinentum 

Novo cedat ritui : 

Pra?>tet fides supplementum 

S CDSonm defe etui. 



Genitori. Genitoque 
Laus et jubilatio, 
Salus. honor, virtus quoque 
Sit et benedictio : 
Procedenti ab utroque 
Compar sit laudatio. 



Down in adoration falling. 
Lo. the sacred host we hail; 
Lo, o'er ancient forms depart- 
ing, 

Newer rites of grace prevail ; 
Faith for all defects supply- 
ing. 

Where the feeble senses fail. 

To the everlasting Father. 
And the Son who reigns on 
high, 

With the Holy Ghost pro- 
ceeding 
Forth from each eternally. 
Be salvation, honor, blessing, 
Might, and endless majesty. 



VESPERS. 



403 



T 7 ". Partem cle coelo 
praestitisti eis. Alleluia. 

M. Omne delectamen- 
tum in se habentiun. Al- 
leluia. 



T 7 ". Thou gavest them 
bread from heaven. Al- 
leluia. 

H. Containing in itself 
every delight. Alleluia. 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



AUCTOR beate sasculi, 
Christe Redemptor om 
nium, 

Lumen- Patris de lumine, 
Deusque verus de Deo. 



Amor coegit te tuus 
Mortale corpus sumere, 
L't novus Adam redderes, 
Quod vetus ille abstulerat. 



Hie amor almus nrtifex 
Terra? marisque et siderum, 
Errata patrum miserans, 
Et nostra rumpens vincula. 



Non corde discedat tuo 
Vis ilia amoris inclyti : 
Hoc fonte rentes hauriant 
Remissionis gratiam. 



Percussum ad hoc est lan- 
eea, 

Passumque ad hoc est vul- 
nera, 



Jesu, Creator of the world, 
Of all mankind Redeemer 
blest, 

True God of God, in whom 
we see 

The Father's image clear ex- 
pressed ! 

Thee, Saviour, love alone 

constrained 
To make our mortal flesh thine 

own, 

And as a second Adam come, 
For the first Adam to atone. 

That selfsame love which 

made the sky, 
Which made the sea, and 

stars, and earth, 
Took pity on our misery, 
And broke the bondage of our 

birth. 

Jesu, in thy heart divine 
May that same love forever 
glow ; 

Forever mercy to mankind 
From that exhaustless foun- 
tain flow. 

For this thy sacred heart was 

pierced, 
And both with blood and 

water ran, 



404 



VESPERS. 



Decus Parenti, et Filio, 
Sanctoque sit Spiritui, 
Quibas potestas, gloria 
Kt'gnumque in onme est saacu- 
lum. Amen. 



Ut nos lavaret sordibus, To cleanse us from the stains 

Unda fluente et sanguine. of guilt, 

And be the hope and strength 
of man. 

To God the Father, and the 
Son, 

All praise, and power, and 

glory be, 
With thee, O holy Comforter, 
Henceforth through all eter- 
nity. Amen. 

First Vespers. 

T 7 *. Ignem veni mittere V. I came to send fire 

in terrain. on earth. 

It. Et quid volo, nisi ~R. And what will I but 

ut aceendatur? that it be kindled? 

Second Vespers. 

V. Ilaurietis aqua's in V. With joy ye shall 
gaudio 



B. De 
vat oris. 



fontibus Sal- 



draw water. 

M. From the fountains 
of the Saviour. 



ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL. 



CHRISTE, sanctorum de- 
cus angelorum, 
Gentis humanae sator et Ee- 

dempter, 
Coelitum nobis tribuas beatas 
Scandere sedes. 



Angelus y&cis Michael in 

aides 

Coelitus nostras veniat, se- 
re nae 

Auctor ut pacis lacrymosa in 
or cum 
Bella releget. 



Christ, the beauty of the 
angel worlds. 

Of man the Maker and Re- 
deemer blest, 

Grant us one da}' to mount the 
path of light, 
And in thy glory rest. 

Angel of peace, thou, Michael, 

from above 
Come down, amid the homes 

of man to dwell, 
And banish wars, with all their 

tears and blood, 
Back to their native hell. 



VESPERS. 



405 



Angelus fortis Gabriel, ut 
hostes 

Pellat antiquos, et arnica coelo, 
Quae triumphator statuit per 

orbem, 
Templa revisat. 



Angelus nostrae medicus 
salutis 

Adsit e coelo Raphael, ut 
omnes 

Sanet aegrotos, dubiosque vitae 
Dirigat actus. 



Angel of strength, thou, 

Gabriel, cast out 
Thine ancient foes, usurpers 

of thy reign, 
The temples of thy triumph 

round the globe 
Revisit once again. 

And Raphael, physician of the 
soul — 

Let him descend from his 

pure halls of light, 
To heal the sick, and guide 

each doubtful course 
Through all our life aright. 



Yirgo dux pacis, genitrixque 
lucis, 

Et sacer nobis chorus ange- 
lorum 

Semper assistat, simul et 

micantis 
Regia cceli. 

Praestet hoc nobis Deitas beata 
Patris, ac nati, pariterque 
sancti 

Spiritus, cujus resonat per 

omnem 
Gloria mundum. Amen. 



First 

V. Stetit angelus juxta 
aram templi. 

JR. Habens thuribulum 
aureum in manu sua. 



Thou too, O Virgin, with the 

angel choirs, 
Mother of light, and Queen 

of peace, descend, 
And bring with thee the ra- 
diant court of heaven, 
Thy children to befriend. 

This grace on us bestow, O 

Father blest, 
And thou, O Son by an eter- 
nal birth, 
With thee, from both proceed- 
ing, Holy Ghost, 
Whose glory fills the earth. 

Amen. 

Vespers. 

V. The angel stood by 
the altar of the temple. 

H. Having in his hand 
a censer of gold. 



ST. JOSEPH. 

TE, Joseph, celebrent ag- Joseph, pure spouse of that 

mina coelitum, immortal Bride 

Te cuncti resonent Chris- Who shines in ever-virgin 

tiadum chori, glory bright, 



406 



VESPERS 



Qui clams meritis. junetus es 

inclyta* 
Casto foedere Virgini. 

Almo cum tumidam germine 

conjugem 
Admirans. dubio tangeris 

anxius, 

Afflatu superi Flaminus an- 

gchis 

Conceptum puerum docct. 

Tunatum Dominum stringis, 

ad exteras 
JEgypti profugurn tu sequeris 

plagas ; 

Amissum Solymis quseris et 

invenis, 
Miscens gaudia fletibus. 

Post mortem reliquos mors 

pia eonsecrat. 
Palmamque emeritos gloria 

suscipit ; 
Tu vivens, superis par, fru- 

eris Deo. 
Mini sorte beatior. 

Nobis, summa Trias, parce 

precantibus, 
Da Joseph meritis sidera 

scandere : 
Ut tandem lice at nos tibi per- 

petim 

Gratum promere canticum. 

Amen. 



Thy praise let all the earth 

re-echoing send 
Back to the realms of light. 

Thee, when sore doubts of 

thine affianced wife 
Had filled thy righteous spirit 

with dismay, 
An angel visited, and. with 

blest words, 
Scattered thy fears away. 

Thine arms embraced thy 

Maker newly born : 
With him to Egypt's desert 

didst thou flee ; 
Him in Jerusalem didst seek 

and find. 
0, day of joy to thee ! 

Not until after death their 

blissful crown 
Others obtain ; but unto thee 

was given 
In thine own lifetime to enjoy 

thy God, 
As do the blest in heaven. 

Grant us, great Trinity, for 

Joseph's sake, 
The heights of immortality to 

gain, 

There, with glad tongues, thy 

praise to celebrate 
In one eternal strain. 

Amen. 



First 

V. Constituit eum do- 
miniirQ domus sua?. 

it. Et principeru oinnis 
possessionis suae. 



esjjers. 

V. He made him lord 
over his household. 

B. And the ruler of all 
his possessions. 



VESPERS. 



407 



Second Vespers. 

V. Gloria et divitise in V. Glory and riches 

domo ejus. are in his house. 

H. Et justitia ejus ma- it. And his justice re- 
net in sasculum sseculi. maineth forever and ever. 

ST. JOHN BAPTIST. 



UT queant laxis resonare 
fibris 

Mira gestorum famuli tuorum, 
Solve polluti labii reatum, 
Sancte Joannes. 



Nuntius celsoveniens Olynrpo, 
Te patri magnum fore nasci- 
turum, 

Nomen, et vitae seriem ge- 

rendae 
Ordine promit. 



Hie promissi dubius superni, 
Perdidit promptas modulos 

loquelas : 
Sed reformasti genitus per- 

emptae 
Organa vocis. 



Yentris obstruso recubans 
cubili, 

Senseras Begem thalamo ma- 

nentem : 
Hinc parens, nati meritis 

uterque 
Abdita pandit. 

Sit decus Patri, genitaeque 
Proli, 

Et tibi compar utriusque 
virtus 



Unloose, gTeat Baptist, our 
sin-fettered lips, 

That with enfranchised voice 
we may proclaim 

The miracles of thy tran- 
scendent life, 

Thy deeds of matchless fame. 

O, lot sublime, an angel quits 

the skies, 
Thy birth, thy name, thy glory 

to declare 
Unto thy priestly sire ; while 

to the Lord 
He offers Israel's prayer. 

Mistrustful of the promise 

from on high, 
His speech forsakes him at 

the angel's word; 
But thou, on thine eighth day, 

dost re-attune 
For him the vocal chord. 

No marvel : since yet clois- 
tered in the womb, 

The presence of thy King had 
thee inspired, 

What time Elizabeth and 
Mary sang, 

With joy prophetic fired. 

Immortal glory to the Fa- 
ther be, 

"With his almighty sole-begot- 
ten Son, 



408 



VESPERS. 



Spiritus semper. Deus unus, 

omni 

Temporis avo. Amen. 

First 

Y. Fuit homo missus a 
Deo. 

R. Cui nomeu erat Jo- 
annes. 

Second 

T 7 ". Iste puer magnus 
coram Domino. 

R. Xam et manus ejus 
cum ipso est. 



And thee, coequal Spirit, One 

in Three, 
While endless ages run. 

Amen. 

Vespers. 

V. There was a man 
sent from God. 

R. Whose name was 
John. 

Vespers. 

V* This child is great 
before the Lord. 

R. For the hand of 
God is with him. 



SS. PETER 

DECORA lux aeternitatis, 
a ure am 

Diem beatis irrigavit ignibus. 

ApostoLorum quae coronat 
principes. 

Reisque in astra liberam pan- 
dit viam. 

Mundi Magister. atque coeli 
Janitor, 

Eumte pa rentes, arbitrique 
gentium. 

Per onsis ilie, hie per crucis 
victor neeem 

Vita? senatum laureati pos- 
sidetis 

O Roma felix, quae duorum 
Principum 

Es consecrata glorioso san- 
guine : 

Horum crnore purpurata eet- 

eras 

Exoellis orbis una pulchri- 



AND PAUL. 

Bathed in eternity's all- 
beauteous beam, 

And opening into heaven a 
path sublime, 

Welcome the golden day, 
which heralds in 

The apostolic chiefs, whose 
glory tills all time. 

Peter and Paul, the fathers 

of great Rome, 
Now sitting in the senate of 

the skies ; 
One by the cross, the other 

by the sword. 
Sent to their thrones on high, 

and life's eternal prize. 

O happy Rome, whom that 

most glorious blood 
Forever consecrates while 

ages flow : 
Thou, thus impurpled, art 

more beautiful 
Than all that doth appear 

most beautiful below. 



YESPERS. 



409 



Sit Trinitati sempiterna glo- 
ria, 

Honor, potestas, atque jubi- 
latio, 

In unitate, quae gubernat om- 
nia, 

Per universa saeculorum sae- 
cula. Amen. 

First 

V. In omnem terrain 
exivit sonus eorum. 

it. Et in fines orbis 
terrae verba eoriun. 



Praise, blessing, majesty, 

through endless days, 
Be to the Trinity immortal 
given ; 

Who, in pure Unity, pro- 
foundly sways 
Eternally all things alike in 
earth and heaven. 

Amen. 

Vespers, 

V. Their sound has 
gone forth into all lands. 

R. And their words to 
the ends of the world. 

Second Vespers. 

V. Annuntiaverunt ope- V. They declared the 

ra Dei. works of God. 

B. Et facta ejus Intel- B. And understood his 

lexerunt . doings . 



TRANSFIGURATION. 



QUICUMQUE Christum 
quaeritis, 
Oculos in altum tollite : 
Ulic licebit visere 
Signum perennis gloriae. 



Illustre quiddam cernimus, 
Quod nesciat finem pati, 
Sublime, celsum, intermi- 
num, 

Antiquius coelo et ehao. 



Hie ille Rex est Gentium 
Populique Rex Judaki, 



All ye who seek, in hope and 
love, 

For your dear Lord, look up 
above, 

Where, traced upon the azure 
sky, 

Faith may a glorious form 
descry. 

Lo, on the trembling verge 

of light 
A something all divinely 

bright, 

Immortal, infinite, sublime. 
Older than chaos, space, or 
time. 

Hail, Thou, the Gentiles' 

mighty Lord ! 
All hail, O Israel's King 

adored ! 



410 



VESPERS. 



Pro missus Abraham patri 
Ej usque in aevum semini. 



To Abraham sworn in ages 
past, 

And to his seed while earth 
shall last. 



Ilimc et prophetis testibus, 
Iisdemque signatoribus, 
Testator et Pater jubet 
Audire nos, et credere. 



To thee the prophets witness 
bear : 

Of thee the Father doth de- 
clare. 

That all who would his glory 

see, 

Must hear and must believe 
in thee. 



Jesu, tibi sit gloria, 
Qui te revelas parvulis. 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. 

Amen. 



To Jesus, from the proud con- 
cealed, 

But evermore to babes re- 
vealed, 

All glory with the Father be, 
- And Holy Ghost, eternally. 

Amen. 

First and Second Vespers. 



V. Gloriosus 
isti in conspectii 



apparu- 
Domini. 



It. Propterea decor em 
incluit te Dominus. 



V. Glorious didst thou 
appear in the sight of the 
Lord. 

i?. Therefore hath God 
clothed thee with beauty. 



SEVEN DOLORS. 



OQUOT undis lacryma- 
rum, 

Quo dolore volvitur, 
Luetuosa de cruento 
Dam refulsum stipite, 
Cernit ulnis incubantem 
Virgo Plater filium. 

Os suave, mite pectus, 
Et latus dulcissimum, 
Dexteranique vulneratam. 



What a sea of tears and sor- 
rows 

Did the soul of Mary toss 
To and fro upon its billows, 
"While she wept her bitter loss. 
In her arms her Jesus holding, 
Torn but newly from the cross ! 

that mournful Virgin 

Mother. 
See her tears how fast they 

flow 

Down upon his mangled body, 



VESPERS. 



411 



Et sinistram sauciam, 
Et rubras cruore pi ant as 
JEgra tingit lacrymis. 



Centiesque, milliesque 
Stringit arctis nexibus 
Pectus illud et lacertos, 
Ilia figit vulnera, 
Sicquc tota colliquescit 
In doloris osculis. 



Eia, Mater, obsecramus 
Per tuas lias lacryraas, 
Filiique triste funus, 
Vulner unique purpuram, 
Hunc tui cordis dolorem 
Conde nostris cordibus. 



Esto Patri, Filioque, 

Et Coaevo Flamini ; 

Esto sum in as Trinitati 

Sempiterna gloria ; 

Et perennis laus bonorque, 

Hoc et omni saaculo. 

Amen. 



'Wounded side, and thorny 
brow : 

"While his hands and feet she 

kisses — 
Picture of immortal woe. 

Oft and oft his arms and bosom 
Fondly straining to her own ; 
Oft her pallid lips imprinting 
On each wound of her dear 
Son ; 

Till at last, in swoons of 

anguish, 
Sense and consciousness are 

gone. 

Gentle Mother, we beseech 
thee, 

By thy tears and trouble sore ; 
By the death of thy dear Off- 
spring ; 

By the bloody wounds he bore ; 
Touch our hearts with that 

true sorrow 
"Which afflicted thee of yore. 

To the Father everlasting, 
And the Son who reigns on 
high, 

With the coeternal Spirit, 

Trinity in Unity, 
Be salvation, honor, blessing, 
Now and through eternity. 

Amen. 



First and Second Vespers, 

t J 7 ". Regina martyrum, V* Queen of martyrs, 

ora pro nobis. pray for us. 

JR. Quae juxta crucem R. Who didst stand by 

.Jesu constitisti. the cross of Christ. 



412 



Vespers. 



ANGEL GUARDIANS. 



CUSTODES hominum 
psallimus angelojs, 
Naturae fragili quos Pater ad- 
did it 

Coelestis comites, insidianti- 
bus 

Ne succumberet hostibus. 



Praise we those ministers 

celestial 
Whom the dread Father chose 
To be the guardians of our 

nature frail, 
Against our scheming foes. 



Nam quod corruerit proditor 

angelus, 
Concessis merito pulsus ho- 

noribus, 
Ardens invidia pellere nititur, 
Quos coelo Deus advocat. 

Hue custos igitur pervigil ad- 
vola, 

Avcrtens patria de tibi credita 
Tain morbos animi, quam re- 

quiescere 
Quidquid non sinit incolas. 



For, since that from his glory 

in the skies 
Tir apostate angel fell, 
Burning with envy, evermore 

he tries 
To drown our souls in hell. 

Then hither, watchful spirit, 

bend thy wing, 
Our country's guardian 

blessed ; 
Avert her threatening ills, 

expel each thing 
That hindereth her rest. 



Sanctae sit Triadi laus pia ju- 
giter, 

Cujus perpetuo numine ma- 
china 

Triplex haec regitur, cujus in 

omnia 
Regnat gloria ssecula. 

Amen. 



Praise to the glorious Trinity, 

whose strength 
This mighty fabric sways ; 
Whose glory spreads beyond 

the utmost length 
Of everlasting days. 

Amen. 



First and Second Vespers. 



V. In conspectu an- 
gelorum psaUam tibi De- 
us meus. 

R. Adorabo ad tem- 
plum sanctum tuum, et 
confitebor noniini tuo. 



V. In sight of the an- 
gels, I will sing unto thee, 
O 1113* God. 

R. I will worship to- 
wards thy hoi}' temple, 
and give praise unto thy 
name. 



TESPERS. 



413 



ST. MICHAEL. 



TE splendor et virtus Pa- 
ths, 

Te vita, Jesu, cordium, 
Ab ore qui pendent tuo, 
Laudamus inter angelos. 



Tibi mille densa millium 
Ducum corona militat : 
Sed explicat victor erucem 
Michael salutis signifer. 



Draconis bic dirum caput 
In ima pellit tartara. 
Ducemque cum rebellibus 
Caelesti ab arce fulminat. 



Contra ducem superbia? 
Sequamur nunc nos Princi- 
pern, 

Ut detur ex Agni throno 
Nobis corona glorias. 



Patri, simulque Fflio, 
Tibique Sancte Spiritus, 
Sic at fait, sit jagiter. 
Sasculum per omne gloria. 

Amen. 



Jesu. lifespring of the soul, 
The Father's power and glory 
bright. 

Thee with the angels we extol, 
From thee they draw their life 
and light. 

Thy thousand thousand hosts 
are spread 

Embattled o'er the azure sky ; 

But Michael bears thy stand- 
ard dread, 

And lifts the mighty cross on 
high. 

He in that powerful sign 
Did with their dragon prince 
expel ; 

And hurled them from the 
heaven's high towers, 

Down like a thunderbolt to 
hell. 

Grant us with Michael still, 

O Lord. 
Against the prince of pride to 

fight : 

So may a crown be our reward, 
Before the Lamb's pure throne 
of light. 

Kow to the Father, and the 

Son, 

"Who rose from death, all glo- 
ry be, 

With thee. holy Comforter, 
Henceforth through all eter- 
nity. Amen. 



First Vespers. 

Y. Stetit angelus iux- . V. The angel stood by 
ta aram tenipli. the altar of the temple. 



414 



VESPERS. 



H. Habens thuribulum JR. Having in his hand 
anreum in manu sua. a censer of gold. 



ST. RAPHAEL. 



TIBI, Christe, splendor 
Patris, 
Vita, virtus cordium ; 
In conspectu angelorum 
Votis, voce psalliraus : 
Alternantes concrepando 
Melos damns vocibus. 



Collaudamus venerantes, 
O nines coeli principes, 
Sed praeeipue fidelem 
Medicum, et eomitem 
Raphaelem, in virtute 
A 1 1 ig a nt e in d a3 in o ne in . 

Quo eustode procul pelle, 
Rex Christe piissime, 
Onme netas inimici, 
Mundo corde vt corpore : 
Paradiso redde tuo 
Nos sola dementia. 



Gloriam Patri melodis 
Personemus vocibus : 
Gloriam Christo canamus, 
Gloriam Paraclito ; 
Qui tririus et unus Deus 
Extat ante sae'cula. Amen. 



Jesu. brightness of the Fa- 
ther, 

Life and strength of all who 
live, 

In tlie presence of the angels. 
Glory to thy name we give; 
And thy wondrous praise re- 
hearse 

Singing in alternate verse. 

Hail, too. ye angelic powers. 
Hail, ye thrones celestial, 
Hail. Physician of salvation, 
Guide of life, blest Raphael, 
Who the foe of all mankind 
Didst in links of iron bind. 

O, may Christ, by thy protec- 
tion, 

Shelter us from harm this 
day ; 

Keep us pure in flesh and 
spirit. 

Save us from the enemy : 
And vouchsafe us, of his 

grace, 
In his paradise a place. 

Glory to th' almighty Father, 
Sing we now in anthems 
sweet ; 

Glory to the great Redeemer ; 
Glory to the Paraclete ; 
Three in one, and one in 
three, 

Throughout all eternity. 

Amen, 



V. Stetit angelusy etc.; as above. 



VESPERS. 



415 



THE CHAIR < 

QUODCUMQUE in orbe 
nexibns vinxeris, 
Erit rcvinctum, Petre, in arce 

side rum ; 
Et quod resolvit hie potestas 
tradita, 

Erit solutum cceli in aito ver- 
tice ; 

In fine niundi judicabis saecu- 
luni. 



Patri perenne sit per aevum 
gloria, 

Tibique laudes concinamus 

inclytas, 
Sterne Nate, sit superne Spi- 

ritus 

Honor tibi, deeusque : sancta 
jugiter 

Eaudetur omne Trinitas per 
S2sculum- Amen. 



? ST. PETER. 

Peter, whatever thou shalt 

bind on earth. 
The same is bound above the 

starry sky ; 
What here delegated thy 

power doth loose, 
Is loosed in heaven's great 

citadel on high; 
To judgment shalt thou come, 

when the world's end is 

nigh. 

Praise to the Father through 
all ages be ; 

The same to thee, O co-eter- 
nal Son, 

And Holy Ghost, one glorious 
Trinity, 

To whom all majesty and. 
might belong: 

So sing we now, and such be 
our eternal song. Amen. 



First 

V. Tu es Petrus. 

R. Et super banc pe- 
tram sedificabo Ecelesiam 
m earn. 

Second 

V. Elegit te Dorninus 
sacerdotem sibL 

R. Ad saerifieandum 
ei kostiani laudis. 



Vespers* 

V. Thou art Peter, 
R. And on this rock I 
will build my Church. 

Vespers, 

V. The Lord chose 
thee for a priest unto 
himself. 

R. To offer Mm the 
sacrifice of praise- 



416 



VESPERS 



ST. PETER'S CHAINS. 



MIRIS modis repente li- 
ber, ferrea. 
Christo jubente, vincla Pe- 

trus cxuit : 
Ovilis ille pastor, ct rector 
gregis, 

Vitae recludit pascoa et fontes 
sacros, 

Ovesque servat ereditas, arcet 
lupos. 

Patri perenne sit per aevnm 
gloria, 

Tibique landes coneinamus 

inclytas, 
iEternc Nate, sit superne Spi- 

ritns 

Honor tibi, decusque. saneta 
jugiter 

Laucletiir omne Trinitas per 
saeculum. Amen. 



The Lord commands; and, 
lo. liis iron chains. 

Falling from Peter, the com- 
mand obey : 

Peter, blessed shepherd, who 
to verdant plains, 

And life's immortal springs, 
from day to day. 

Leads on his gentle charge, 
driving all wolves away. 

Praise to the Father through 
all ages he : 

The same to thee, co-eter- 
nal Son. 

And Holy Ghost, one glorious 
Trinity, 

To whom all majesty and 
might belong : 

So sing we now. and such be 
our eternal song. Amen. 



First and Second Vesjiers. 

T 7 ! Tu es Petrus. V. Thon art Peter. 

H. Et super banc pe- H. And upon this rock 

tram rediileabo Ecclesiara I will build ray Church, 
me am. 



COMPLIN, 



The reader begins, 

JUBE domine benecli- 
cere . 

The blessing. 

^soetem quiet am. et fi- 
nern perfectum ccncedat 
nobis Doininus onmipo- 
tens. 

It. Amen. 



Prat, father, give me 
your blessing. 

May our Almighty Lord 
grant us a quiet night, 
and a happy end. 

Amen. 



THE SHORT LESS 

FRATPES. sobrii es- 
tote et vigilate : quia 
adversarius vester diabo- 
lus tamquam leo rugiens 
circuit, quaereiis quern de- 
roret : cui resistite fortes 
in fide. Tu autem Do- 
mine. miserere nobis. 
JR. Deo gratia s. 
V. Adjutorium nos- 
trum in nomine Domini. 

JR. Qui fecit ecelum et 
terrain. Pater noster. (se- 
crete) 

Then the priest makes the C 

Confiteor Deo omnipo- 
tenti. etc. 



rc. (1 Peter v.) 

Brethren, be sober and 
watch : because your ad- 
versary the devil, as a 
roaring Hon, goeth about 
seeking whom he may de- 
vour : whom resist ye. 
strong in faith . And thou . 
Lord, have mercy on us. 

E. Thanks be to God. 

T". Our help is in the 
name of the Lord. 

jB. Who made heaven 
and earth. Our Father, 
(secretly.) 

ofession, 

I confess to Almighty 
God. &c. 

417 



418 



COMPLIN. 



The choir answer, 

Misereatur tui omnipo- 
tens Deus, et dimissis 
peccatis tuis, perducat te 
ad vitam aeternam. 

7?. Amen. 

Then they repeat the Confes 

Confiteor Deo omnipo- 
tent!, beatae Mariae sem- 
per Virgini, beato Mi- 
chaeli Archangelo, beato 
Joanni Baptists, Sanctis 
apostolis Petro et Paulo, 
omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, 
pater, quia peccavi nimis 
cogitatione, verbo et ope- 
re : mea culpa, raea culpa, 
mea maxima culpa. I- 
deo precor beat am Ma- 
riam semper Virginem, 
beatum Michaelem Arch- 
angelum, beatum Joan- 
nem Baptistam, sanctos 
apostolos Petrum et Pau- 
lum, omnes sanctos, et te 
pater, orare pro me ad 
Dominum Deum nostrum. 



May Almighty God 
have mercy on you. for- 
give you your sins, and 
bring you to everlasting 
life. 

JR. Amen. 



I confess to Almighty 
God, to blessed Mary 
ever Virgin, to blessed 
Michael the Archangel, 
to blessed John the Bap- 
tist, to the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, to all the 
saints, and to you. father, 
that I have sinned ex- 
ceedingly, in thought, 
word, and deed, through 
my fault, through my 
fault, through my most 
grievous fault. Therefore 
I beseech the blessed 
Mary ever Virgin, the 
1 dessed Michael the Arch- 
angel, the blessed John 
the Baptist, the holy apos- 
tles Peter and Paul, all 
the saints, and you. fa- 
ther, to pray to the Lord, 
our God, for me. 



After the choir have recited the Confiteor, the priest says. 

Misereatur vestri. etc. May Almighty God. &c. 
Indtilgentiam. absoluti- May the Almighty and 
onem et remissionem pec- merciful Lord give us 



COMPLIN. 



419 



catorum nostrorum tribuat 
nobis omnipotens et mise- 
ricors Dominus. Amen. 

V. Converte nos, De- 
us salutaris noster. 

JR. Et avert e iram tu- 
am a nobis. 

V. Dens, in adjutori- 
um meum intende. 

M. Domine, ad adju- 
vandum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Miserere. 

PSALMUS IV. 

CUM invocarum, ex- 
audivit me Deus 
justitise mese : * in tribu- 
latione dilatasti mihi. 

Miserere mei, * et ex- 
audi oration em meam. 

Filii hominnm, usque- 
quo gravi corde? * Ut 
quid diligitis vanitatem, 
et quseritis mendacium ? 

Et scitote quoniam mi- 
rificavit Dominus sanc- 
tum suum : * Dominus 
exaudiet me, cum clama- 
vero ad eum. 

Irascimini. et nolite pec- 
care : * qua? dicitis in cor- 
dibus vestris, in cubilibus 
vestris. compungimini. 



pardon, absolution, and 
remission of our sins. 
Amen. 

V. Convert us, O God 
our Saviour. 

B. And turn off thy 
anger from us. 

V. Incline unto my 
aid, O God. m 

R. O Lord, make haste 
to help me. 

Glory be to the Father, 

&Q, 

Ant. Have mercy. 

PSALM IV. 

"When I called upon 
him, the God of my jus- 
tice heard me ; when I 
was in distress, thou hast 
enlarged me. 

Have mercy on me, and 
hear my prayer. 

O ye sons of men, how 
long will you be dull of 
heart ? Why do you love 
vanity and seek after ly- 
ing? 

Know ye also that the 
Lord hath made his Holy 
One wonderful : the Lord 
will hear me when I shall 
cry unto him. 

Be ye angry, and sin 
not ; the things you say in 
your hearts, be sorry for 
them upon your beds. 



420 



COMPLIN". 



Sacrificate sacrificium 
justitise, et sperate in Do- 
mino. * Multi dicunt : 
Quis ostendit nobis bona? 

Signaturn est super nos 
lumen vultus tui. Domine : 
* dedisti ketitiam in eorde 
meo. 

A fructu frumenti. yini. 
et olei sui * multiplicati 
sunt. 

In pace in idipsum * 
dormiam, et requiescam. 

Quoniam tu Domine 
singula riter in spe * con- 
stituisti me. 



psalmus xxx. 

IX te Domine speravi, 
non confundar in seter- 
num : * in justitia tua 
libera me. 

Inclina ad me aurem 
tuam. * accelera ut eru- 
as me. 

Esto mihi in Denm pro- 
tectorem. et in donumrefu- 
gii. * ut salvum me facias. 

Quoniam fortitude mea. 
et refugium me um es tu : 
* et propter nomen tu- 
um deduces me, et enu- 
tries me. 

Educes me de laqueo 
hoc quern absconderunt 



Offer up the sacrifice 
of justice, and trust in the 
Lord ; many say. Who 
showeth us good things? 

The light of thy counte- 
nance, O Lord, is signed 
upon us ; thou bast given 
gladness in my heart. 

By the fruit of their 
corn, their wine and oil, 
they are multiplied. 

In peace in the self- 
same I will sleep and I 
will rest. 

For thou. O Lord, sin- 
gularly hast settled me in 
hope. 

psalm xxx. 

In thee. O Lord, have 
I hoped : let me never be 
confounded : deliver me 
in thy justice. 

Bow down thy ear to 
me : make haste to de- 
liver me. 

Be thou unto me a God, 
a Protector, and a house 
of refuge to save me. 

For thou art my 
strength and my refuge : 
and for thy name's sake 
thou wilt lead me, and 
nourish me. 

Thou wilt bring me out 
of this snare, which they 



COMPLIN. 



421 



mihi : * quoniam tu es 
protector meus. 

In manus tuas com- 
mendo spiritum meum : * 
redemisti me Domine Deus 
veritatis. 

PSALMUS XC. 

QUI habitat in adjuto- 
rio Altissimi, * in 
protectione Dei coali corn- 
niorabitur. 

Dicet Domino : Suscep- 
tor meus es tu, et refugi- 
um meum : * Deus meus, 
sperabo in eum. - 

Quoniam ipse liberavit 
me de laqueo venantmm, 
* et a verbo aspero. 

Scapulis suis obumbra- 
bit tibi : * et sub pennis 
ejus sperabis. 

Scuto circumdabit te 
Veritas ejus : * non time- 
bis a timore nocturno ; 

A sagitta volant e in die, 
a negotio perambulante in 
tenebris, * ab incursu, et 
daemonio meridiano. 

Cadent a latere tuo 
mille, et decern millia a 
dextris tuis : * ad te au- 
tem non appropinquabit. 



have hidden for me ; for 
thou art nry Protector. 

Into thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit : thou hast 
redeemed me, O Lord, the 
God of truth. 

psalm xc. 

He that dwelleth in the 
aid of the Most High shall 
abide under the protection 
of the God of heaven. 

He shall say to the Lord , 
Thou art my protector and 
my refuge ; my God, in 
him will I trust. 

For he hath delivered 
me from the snare of the 
hunters, and from the 
sharp word. 

He will overshadow 
thee with his shoulders ; 
and under his wings thou 
shalt trust. 

His truth shall compass 
thee with a shield ; thou 
shalt not be afraid of the 
terror of the night ; 

Of the arrow that flieth 
in the day ; of the business 
that walketh about in the 
dark ; of invasion, or of 
the noonday devil. 

A thousand shall fall at 
thy side, and ten thousand 
at thy right hand, but it 
shall not come nigh thee. 



422 



COMPLIN. 



Vemmtamen oculis tuis 
considerabis : * et retri- 
butionem peccatorum vi- 
debis. 

Quoniam tu es Domi- 
ne spes mea : * Altissi- 
mum posuisti refugium 
tuum. 

]Non accedet ad te ma- 
lum : * et flagellum non 
appropiuquabit taberna- 
culo tuo. 

Quoniam angeEs suis 
mandavit de te : * ut cus- 
todiant te in omnibus viia 
tuis. 

In manibus portabunt 
te, * ne forte offendas ad 
lapidem pedem tuum. 

Super aspidem et basi- 
liscum amb u la bis : * et 
conculcabis leonem et 
draeonem. 

Quoniam in me speravit , 
liberabo eum : * protegam 
eum, quoniam cognovit 
nomen mourn. 

Clamabit ad me, et ego 
exaudiam eum : * cum 
ipso sum in tribulatione : 
eripiam eum, et glorilica- 
bo eum. 

Longitudine dierum re- 
plebo eum : * et ostendam 
illi salutare memn. 



But thou shalt consider 
with thy eyes, and shalt 
see the reward of the 
wicked. 

Because thou, O Lord, 
art my hope ; thou hast 
made the Most High thy 
refugei 

There shall no evil 
come to thee; nor shall 
the scourge come near thy 
dwelling. 

For he hath given his 
angels charge over thee, 
to keep thee in all thy 
ways. 

In their hands they shall 
bear thee up, lest thou dash 
thy foot against a stone. 

Thou shalt walk upon 
the asp and the basilisk, 
and thou shalt trample 
under foot the lion and 
the dragon. 

Because he hoped in me, 
I will deliver him ; I will 
protect him, because he 
hath known my name. 

lie shall cry to me. and 
I will hear him ; I am 
with him in tribulation ; 
I will deliver him, and I 
will glorify him. 

I will ^ fill him witli 
length of days, and I will 
show him my salvation. 



COMPLIN. 



423 



PSALMUS CXXXIII. 

ECCE nunc benedicite 
Dominum, * onines 
servi Domini, 

Qui statis in clomo Do- 
mini, * in atriis domus 
Dei nostri. 

In noctibus extollite 
manus vestras in saneta, 
* et benedicite Doim- 
num. 

Benedicat te Dominus 
ex Sion, * qui fecit cceluni 
et terrain. 

Ant . Miserere mihi Do- 
mine, et exaudi orationem 
meam. 

THE 

TE lucis ante terminum, 
Rerum Creator, poseimus, 
Ut pro tua dementia, 
Sis pragsul et custodia. 



Procul recedant somnia, 
Et noetium phantasmata ; 
Hostemque nostrum compri- 
me, 

Ne polluantur corpora. 



Presta, Pater piissime, 
Patrique compar Unice, 
Cum Spiritu Paraclito 
Eegnans per omne sseculum. 

Amen. 



PSALM CXXXIII. 

Behold, now, bless ye 
the Lord, all ye servants 
of the Lord, 

Who stand in the house 
of the Lord, in the courts 
of the house of our God. 

In the nights lift up 
your hands to the holy 
places, and bless }^e the 
Lord. 

May the Lord out of 
Sion bless thee, he that 
made heaven and earth. 

Ant. Have mercy on 
me. O Lord, and hear my 
prayer. 

HYMN . 

To thee, before the close of 
day, 

Creator of the world, we pray ; 
With wonted mercy us direct, 
And from nocturnal harms 
protect. 

Let no vain dreams disturb 

our sleep, 
And nightly phantoms from us 

keep : 

Satan repel, that by his wiles 
Our bodies know not what 
denies. 

Merciful Father, bend thy ear ; 
Coequal Son, our prayers 
hear ; 

O Holy Spirit, hear our cry, 
Who live all three eternally. 

Amen. 



424 



COMPLIN. 



THE LITTLE CHAPTE 

TU autem in nobis es 
Domine, et nomen 
sanctum tuum invocatum 
est super nos : ne derelin- 
quas nos Domine Deus 
noster. 

H. Deo gratias. 
Hesp. Brev. In manus 
tuas Domine. commendo 
spiritum meum. In ma- 
nus tuas Domine. com- 
mendo spiritum meum. 

V. Redemisti nos Do- 
mine Deus veritatis. 
Commendo spiritum me- 
um . Gloria Patr i , et Filio , 
et Spiritui sancto. In 
manus tuas Domine. com- 
mendo spiritum meum. 

V. Custodi nos Do- 
mine ut pupillam oculi. 

It. Sub umbra alarum 
tuarum protege nos. 

Ant, Salve nos. 



(Jeremiah xiv.) 

Thou. Lord, art 
among us. and thy holy 
name has been invoked 
upon us ; forsake us not, 

Lord, our God. 

It. Thanks be to God. 

Short JR. Into thy 
hands. O Lord. I com- 
mend my spirit. Into 
thy hands. O Lord, I 
commend my spirit. 

V. Thou hast redeemed 
us. O Lord, the God of 
truth. I commend my 
spirit. Glory be to the 
Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Ghost. 
Into thy hands. O Lord, 

1 commend my spirit. 

V. Keep us. O Lord, 
as the apple of thy eye. 

It. Protect us under 
the shadow of thy wings. 

Ant. Save us. 



the song of si me on. (Luke ii.) 



NUNC dimittis servum 
tuum Domine, * se- 
cundum verbum tuum in 
pace : 

Quia viderunt oculi 
mei * salutare tuum, 
Quod parasti * ante 



Now thou dost dismiss 
thy servant. O Lord, ac- 
cording to thy word, in 
peace, 

Because my eyes have 
seen thy salvation, 

Which thou hast pre- 



COMPLIN. 



425 



faciem omnium populo- 
rum : 

Lumen ad revelationem 
Gentium, * et gloriam 
plebis tuae Israel. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Salva nos Domine 
vigilantes, custodi nos 
dormientes. ut vigilemus 
cum Christo, et requies- 
camus in pace. 

Kyrie eleison. 

Christ e eleison. 

Kyrie eleison. 

Paternoster, (secreto.) 
V. Et ne nos inducas 
intentationem. 

M. Sed libera nos a 
malo. Credo in Deum, 
(secreto.) 

V. Carnis resurrectio- 
nem. 

H. Vitam seternam. 
Amen. 

V. Benedictus es, Do- 
miue Deus patrum nos- 
troriun. 

It. Et laudabilis et glo- 
riosus in saecula. 

V. Benedicamus Pa- 
trem et Filium. cum Sanc- 
to Spiritu. 



pared before the face of 
all people ; 

A light to the revela- 
tion of the Gentiles, and 
to the glory of thy people 
Israel. 

Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, &c. 

Ant. Save us, O Lord, 
waking, and keep us, 
sleeping, that we may 
watch with Christ, and 
rest in peace. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on 
us. 

Lord, have mercy on 
us. 

Our Father, (secretly . ) 

V. And lead us not 
into temptation. 

H. But deliver us from 
evil. I believe in God, 
(secretly.) 

F. The resurrection of 
the body. 

R. Life everlasting. 
Amen. 

I 7 ". Thou art blessed, 
O Lord, the God of our 
fathers. 

R. And thou art worthy 
of praise, and glorious 
forever. 

V. Let us bless the 
Father and the Son, with 
the Holy Ghost. 



426 



C03IPLIN. 



JR. Laudemus, et su- 
perexaltemus euro, in sse- 
cula. 

V. Benedictus es Do- 
mine in firmament o coeli. 

JR. Et laudabilis, et 
gloriosus, et superexalta- 
tus in saecula. 

V. Benedieat et eus- 
todiat nos omnipotens et 
misericors Dominus. 

R. Amen. 

J 7 ". Dignare Domine 
nocte ista. 

JR. Sine peccato nos 
custodire. 

V. Miserere nostri, Do- 
mine. 

R. Miserere nostri. 

V. Fiat misericordia 
tua Domine super nos. 

R. Qnemadmodnm spe- 
ravimns in te. 

V. Domine exaudiora- 
tionem me am. 

R. Et clamor meus ad 
te veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spirit u tuo. 

Oremus. 

Visita, qusesumus Do- 
mine, habit ationem istam, 



R. Let us praise and 
exalt him forever. 

V. Thou art blessed, 
O Lord, in the firmament 
of heaven. 

It. And thou art wor- 
thy of praise, and glori- 
ous, and to be exalted 
forever. 

V. May the almighty 
and merciful God bless 
and preserve us. 

It. Amen. 

V. Vouchsafe. Lord, 
to keep us this night. 
R. Without sin. 

V. Have mercy on us, 
O Lord. 

It. Have mercy on us. 

V. Let thy mercy, O 
Lord, be shown upon us. 

It. As we have put our 
trust in thee. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

It. And let my cry 
come unto thee. 

V. The Lord be with 
you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

Visit, we beseech thee, 
O Lord, this habitation, 



COMPLIN. 



427 



et omnes insidias inimici 
ab ea longe repelle ; angeli 
tui sancti habitent in ea, 
qui nos in pace custodi- 
an! : et benedictio tua sit 
super nos semper, per Do- 
ininum. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

H. Et cum spiritu tuo. 
V. Benedicamns Do- 
mino. 

JR. Deo gratias. 



and remove far from it all 

the snares of the enemy : 
let thy holy angels dwell 
in it. to preserve us in 
peace : and let thy bless- 
ing be always upon us, 
through our Lord. &c. 

T r . The Lord be with 
you. 

R . And with thy spirit. 
V. Let us bless the 
Lord. 

It. Thanks be to God. 



The blessing-. 

Benedicat et custodiat Ma}' the almighty and 

nos omnipotens et mise- merciful Lord . the Father, 

ricors Dominus, Pater, et Son. and Holy Ghost, 

Filius, et Spiritus Sane- bless and preserve us. 
tus. 

H. Amen. H. Amen. 

Then is said one of the anthems of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
according to the time, as at page 482. 

After the anthem of the Blessed Virgin Mary, say : 

T 7 ! Divinum auxilimn maneat semper nobiscum. 
Amen. 

And then, in an undertone. 

Pater noster, Ave Maria, Credo. 



THE BENEDICTION 

OF 

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 



WHAT we call the benediction is a devotion practised by 
the Church, in order to give adoration, praise, and 
blessing, or benediction, to God, for his infinite goodness and 
love, testified to us in the institution of the Blessed Sacrament ; 
and to receive, at the same time, the benediction, or blessing, 
of our Lord, there present. 

When the Blessed Sacrament is taken out of the tabernacle, 
the choir sings, salutaris Jlnstia. etc., i. e., O saving Victim, 
which openest the gates of heaven, lo. the wars of our enemies 
press upon us : do thou give us strength and aid. To the great 
Lord, who is three in one, be everlasting glory. O, may he 
grant us life without end. in our heavenly country. 

After this is usually sung some psalm, or pious metre, ac- 
cording to the order of superiors, the discretion of the cele- 
brant, or exigence of the times. Then follows the hymn of 
the Blessed Sacrament, Pange, lingua, or at least the latter part 
of it, Tan tu m ergo. 



THE HYMN. 




Sing. my tongue, adore and 
praise 



Sanguinisque pretiosi 
Quern in mundi pretium 
Fruetus ventris generosi 
Rex elfudit gentium. 



The depth of God's myste- 
rious ways ; 



How Christ, the world's great 
King, bestowed 



His flesh, concealed in human 
food. 



And left mankind the blood, 
that paid 



The ransom for the souls he 
made. 



428 



BENEDICTION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 429 



Nobis datus, nobis natus 
Ex intacta Virgine, 
Et in mundo conversatus, 
Sparso verbi semine, 
Sui moras incolatus 
Miro clausit ordine. 



Given from above, and born 

for man. 
From Virgin's womb his life 

began ; 

He lived on earth, and 

preached, to sow 
The seeds of heavenly truth 

below ; 

Then sealed his mission from 
above, 

"With strange effects of power 
and love. 



In supremse nocte coense 
Recumbens cum fratribus 
Observata lege plene 
Cibis in legalibus, 
Cibum turbae duodenae 
Se dat suis manibus. 



'Twas on that evening, when 

the last 
And most mysterious supper 

passed ; 

When Christ with his disciples 
sat. 

To close the law with legal 
meat ; 

Then to the twelve himself. 

bestowed, 
With his own hands to be their 

food. 



Verbum caro, panem verum 
Verbo carnem efficit, 
Fitque sanguis Christi me- 

rum ; 
Et si sensus deficit, 
Ad firmanduin cor sincerum 
Sola fides sufneit. 



The Word made flesh for love 
of man, 

His word turns bread to flesh 
again. 

And wine to blood, unseen by. 

sense, 

By virtue of omnipotence ; 
And here the faithful rest 
secure, 

Whilst God can vouch, and 
faith insure. 



Tantum ergo sacramentum 
Veneremur cernui, 
Et antiquum documentum 
2Sovo cedat ritui : 



To this mysterious table now, 
Our knees, our hearts, and 

sense we bow ; 
Let ancient rites resign their 

place 

To nobler elements of grace, 



430 



BENEDICTION OF THE 



Praestet fides supplementum 
Sensuum defectui. 



Genitori, Genitoque 
Laus et jubilatio, 
Salus, honor, virtus quoque 
Sit et benedictio 
Procedenti ab utroque 
Compar sit laudatio. 

Amen. 



V. Panem de ccelo 
praestitisti ois. 

J?. Oninc delectamen- 
tum in se habentem. 



And faith, for all defects, 
supply, 

Whilst sense is lost in mystery. 

To God the Father, born of 
none, 

To Christ, his coeternal Son, 
And Holy Ghost, whose equal 
rays 

Prom both proceed, one equal 
praise, 

One honor, jubilee, and fame ; 
Forever bless his glorious 
name. Amen. 

I 7 ". Thou hast given 
them bread from heaven. 

11. Replenished with 
all sweetness and delight. 



Orqmus. 

DEUS, qui nobis sub Sacramento mirabili passionis 
tuae memoriam rehquisti : tril)ne. qiuesumus, ita 
nos Corporis et Sanguinis tui sacra mysteria venerari ; 
ut redemptionis tuae fructum in nobis jugiter sentia- 
nms : Qui vivis, et regnas in saecula sajculonmi. 
H. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, who hast left us, in this wonderful sacra- 
ment, a perpetual memorial of thy passion, 
grant us, we beseech thee, so to reverence the sacred 
mysteries of thy body and blood, that we may con- 
tinually find in our souls the fruit of thy redemption, 
who livest and reignest, &c. 

"When the priest gives the benediction with the Blessed Sac- 
rament, bow down, and profoundly adore your Saviour there 
present. Give him thanks for all his mercies ; offer your whole 
self to him, to be his forever ; and earnestly beg his blessing 
upon you and yours, and upon his whole Church. 



BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



431 



The following may be sung at the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament : 

Charm. 

Adoremus in seternum Prostrate in trembling awe, 

Sanctissini.um sacratnentuin. let's all adore 

This holy sacrament for ever- 
more. 

Solo. 

Lavdate Dominum, etc., O, praise the Lord, &c, 



p. 350. 

OSAJ.UTARIS hostia, 
Quae coeli pandis ostium. 
Bella premunt hostilia, 
Da robur, fer auxilium. 



Uni trinoque Domino 
Sit sempiterna gloria, 
Qui vitam sine termino 
IS obis donet in patria. 

Amen. 



50. 



O saving host, O heavenly 
bread, 

That mak'st our souls forever 
live, 

Against the cruel foes we 
dread, 

Thy heavenly aid unto us give. 

O thou who feed'st us with 
thy blood, 

Good Shepherd, praise be to 
thy name ; 

Whilst mortals taste th' im- 
mortal food, 

Let heavenly choirs thy love 
proclaim. 



PANIS angelicus fit panis 
ho milium ; 
Dat panis ccelicus figuris ter- 

miniiMJ : 
O res mirabilis ! manducat 

Dominum 
Pauper, servus et humilis. 



Te, trina Deitas unaque, pos- 

cimus, 

Sic nos tu visita, sicut te coli- 
mus ; 

Per tu;is semitas due nos quo 

tendimus, 
Ad lucem quam inhabitas. 

Amen. 



The bread of angels bread of 

men is made ; 
The truth and substance now 

exclude the shade. 
O strange effect of love! the 

sovereign God 
Becomes the poor, the slave, 

the sinner's food. 

O Three in One, we humbly 

thee implore 
To manifest thyself, as we 

adore ; 

By thy own ways instruct us 

how to move 
To that bright light, in which 

thou dwell st above. 



432 



BENEDICTION OF THE 



AYE, verum corpus, natum 
De Maria Virgine, 
Vere pas sum, immolatum 
In eruce pro honiine. 



Hail, real body of our Lord, 

From spotless Vinrin born ; 
Hail, Victim, stretched upon 

a cross, 
And for us bruised and torn. 



Cujus latus perforatum 
Unda fluxit et sanguine, 
Esto nobis praegustatum 
Mortis in examine. 



Thy side, with cruel spear 

transpierced, 
Let out a saving flood. 
To wash our sinful stains 
away, 

Of water mixed with "blood. 

O. heavenly manna be our food, 
Whilst in this life we stay; 
And when death comes, pre- 
pare our souls 
To meet the judgment day. 

O gracious Jesus ! bounteous 
Lord ! 

O Mary's clement Son ! 
Let sinners grace and pardon 
find 

Before thy mercy's throne. 
The following anthems to the Blessed Virgin are sometimes added : 

Solo. QUI) tuum presidium confugimus, saneta Dei Gen- 
v3 itri.v. 



O Jesu dulcis ! 
O Jesu pie ! 
Jesu Fill Man a? ! 
Tu nobis miserere. 



Chorus. Sub tuum, etc. 

Solo. Nostras depreeationes ne despicias in necessitatibus 

nostris. 
Chorus. Sub tuum, etc. 

Solo. Sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo glo- 

riosa et benedicta. 
Chorus. Sub tuum, etc. 

[The same in English. J 

OHOLY MOTHER of our God, 
To thee for help we fly: 
Despise not tins our humble prayer, 
But all our wants supply. 

O glorious Virgin, ever blessed, 

Defend us from our foes : 
Prom threatening danger set us free, 

And terminate our woes. 



BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



433 



Solo. O Sanctis si ma, purissima, 
Dulcis Virgo Maria ! 

Chorus. Mater am at a, intenierata, 
Ora, ora pro nobis ! 

Solo. Tota pulchra es, O Maria! 

Et macula non est in te. 
Chorus. Mater amata, etc. 

Solo. Sicut lilium inter spinas, 

Sic Maria inter filias. 
Chorus. Mater amata, etc. 



The following ma}- be sung at the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and 
also after the elevation, or during communion at Mass : — 



OJESU, Dens magne, 
Pastor bone ! 
O dulcis, dulcis Ague ! 

O manna ! 

O Jesu, Pastor bone ! 
O panis salutaris ! 
O manna ! panis ! 
O Ague ! Jesu ! 

Jesu. Jesu mi ! 

O potestas ! 

Quid non praestas ? 

Quid non praestas ho mini? 

O Jesu, etc 



Jesus, blessed Saviour, 

Dearest Saviour, 

O source of heavenly favor ! 

O manna ! 

blessed food of heaven ! 
By thee each grace is given. 
O manna ! heavenly food ! 
O sweet Lamb ! O my God ! 

O Jesus ! my God ! 
O power divine ! 
Where's love like thine? 
O sweetest Lamb ! 
O power divine ! 
Where's love like thine 
For fallen man? 



28 



OF 



THE SAC RAM EXT OF PENANCE. 



THE sacrament of the new law. which has been 
called the sacrament of penance, was instituted 
by our divine Redeemer on the day of his resurrec- 
tion, and left by him in his Church — an ever-tlowing 
channel through which his atoning blood was to be 
applied to our souls, to cleanse them from the guilt 
of all the sins conmiitted after baptism. (St. John 
xx. 19-23.) 

The sacrament of penance was prefigured by the 
confession of sins, which God. in the old law. com- 
manded Moses to impose on the Israelites, his chosen 
people. (Numb. v. 5-7.) 

The leprosy was a figure of sin : and the Levitical 
law obliged those infected with the leprosy to show 
themselves to the priests, and remain under their 
direction and inspection until they were cleansed. 
(Lev. xiii.. xiv.) And our Lord himself bade the ten 
lepers go and show themselves to the priests. (St. 
Luke xvii. 14.) 

The sacrament of penance consists of contrition, 
confession, and satisfaction on the part of the peni- 
tent, and of absolution on the part of the priest 
empowered to absolve. 

Contrition is a sorrow for past sin. and a detesta- 
tion of it. with a purpose of sinning no more. When 
our sorrow proceeds from a devoted and disinterested 

431 



OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 



485 



love of Gocl. it is what is termed perfect contrition ; 
when from a consideration of the baseness of sin. or 
of the danger to which it exposes our eternal salva- 
tion, it is termed imperfect contrition, or attrition. 
Whether our contrition be what is termed perfect or 
imperfect, it must have six qualities. It must be 
supernatural — that is. it must proceed from super- 
natural motives through the grace of God. (2 Cor. 
vii. 10.) Antiochus vainly implored pardon for his 
sins, because his sorrow for them, though very lively, 
was solely produced by the pangs with which the 
Almighty punished him. Interior — it must proceed 
from the heart and the will, because the heart and the 
will have offended. (Joelii. 12, 13. and Deut. iv. 29.) 
Sovereign — we must consider sin the greatest evil ; 
hate, detest, and be sorry for it as such. Universal 
— our sorrow must extend to each and every one of 
our sins, at least mortal, without exception : for to 
cherish an attachment to any one of our grievous 
faults, even though the sin should have procured for 
us all that our heart holds dearest on earth, would 
render us incapable of pardon. It must be accom- 
panied with a firm purpose to avoid sin and every 
dangerous occasion of sin. resolving to suffer any- 
thing rather than commit it again, trusting in our 
good God for grace to keep our resolution. The sixth 
and last quality of contrition is a willingness end 
readiness of mind to do penance for past sins , in order 
to satisfy the divine justice. It is not necessary that 
our sorrow should be a sensible sorrow, such as we 
feel at the loss of a dear friend, or at some other 
temporal affliction. TTe cannot force ourselves to 
such a sensible sorrow when we please ; and. conse- 
quently, it is not the sorrow which our good God 
strictly requires. 

The true sorrow of repentance is thus described 
in the inspired, volume : " You shall remember your 



436 



OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 



wicked ways, and your doings that were not good ; 
and your iniquities and your wicked deeds shall dis- 
please you." (Ezech. xxxvi. 31.) u Let the wicked 
forsake his way. and the unjust man his thoughts, and 
let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on 
him, and to our God. for he is bountiful to forgive." 
(Is. lv. 7.) "When thou shalt be touched with 
repentance of thy heart, . . . and shalt return to 
him. and obey his commandments, . . . the Lord 
thy God . . . will have mercy on thee." (Deut. xxx. 
1-3.) " The sorrow which is according to God 
worketh penance unto salvation, which is lasting." 
(2 Cor. vii. lo.) 

By confession is meant, that, after amoral diligence 
in endeavoring to know our faults, we accuse our- 
selves, with candor and sincerity, of at least all the 
mortal sins, or sins which we doubt to be such, that 
we can recollect, with the desire that our confessor, 
who must be a priest empowered to hear our con- 
fession, may see them as we see them. and. if it were 
possible, as God sees them. But. although we are 
strictly obliged to confess our mortal sins, yet it is the 
general practice of all who are truly desirous to 
secure their salvation to confess also their venial sins. 

When we are actually conscious of only small sins 
and imperfections, we might advantageously practise 
the laudable custom of confessing some more grievous 
faults of our past lives, in order to excite compunc- 
tion in our hearts. 

We ought not to make up our confession with 
negatives or general feelings, such as, •* I have not 
loved God as much as I ought." u I have not prayed 
with as much devotion as I ought," c - 1 have not been 
as patient as I ought ; " for in these general accusa- 
tions there is no particular sin mentioned, nor any- 
thing by wdiich the confessor can possibly understand 
the state of the penitent's conscience. We should, 



OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 



437 



therefore, instead of accusing ourselves, for instance, 
of being distracted in prayer, examine into the cause 
of our distractions, — whether they arise from volun- 
tary negligence, or want of a sufficient preparation, 
— and, having discovered where the fault is, accuse 
ourselves of it in particular, and so of eveiy other 
sin of which we may be guilty. We must also be 
careful to explain the sinful motives of our sin, and, 
when possible, mention how often we have fallen into 
each sin. When we cannot recollect the number of 
times we have fallen, we should endeavor to come as 
near as possible to the number. If we frequently 
fall into any particular sin, or the sin has become 
almost habitual, we should mention how long we have 
been in the habit of committing it. We must also 
explain such circumstances as are necessary to make 
our confessor understand the nature and qualit}^ of 
our sins. But we must be cautious not to take up the 
precious time of a confessor with any unnecessary 
circumstance ; for our sins alone, or what is necessa- 
rily connected with them, ought to be spoken of at 
confession ; and we ought to be extremely cautious 
not to speak of an}' fault or failing of any third 
person, except when our conscience obliges us to do 
so, which can but very seldom be the case. Lastly, 
we must take into particular consideration our situa- 
tion in life, and the obligations annexed to it, and 
also the character of those against whom we have 
sinned, as well as the degree of deliberation with 
which we have sinned, the scandal given, bad effects 
occasioned, &c. 

Our examen of conscience, as well as the whole of 
our preparation for confession, should be made with 
serious attention, not with disquietude or uneasiness ; 
for God is a tender Parent, who, although he forbids 
us to be careless, yet does not wish us to be unhappily 
anxious in the performance of our duty. 



438 



OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 



By satisfaction is meant the sincerely and duly 
accepting and performing of the prayers and other 
good works, enjoined as penance for our sins by the 
priest to whom we have made our confession. Our 
acceptance of the penance should he humble. " Obey 
your prelates, and be subject to them ; for they watch 
as being to render an account of your souls, that they 
may do this with joy. and not with grief." (Heb. xiii. 
17.) It must be performed in a penitential spirit; 
and when the time has not been specified by our con- 
fessor, it should be performed as soon as morally 
possible, because, until it is performed, the sacrament 
of penance, although validly administered, has not 
received its full integrity. 

The absolution we receive in the tribunal of con- 
fession remits the sin. and the eternal punishment 
due to sin ; but it does not dispense with the temporal 
penalties which must be suffered either here or here- 
after. We should, therefore, never forget that our 
sacramental penance, though perfectly sufficient for 
the integrity of the sacrament, is not always adequate 
to the satisfaction required of us by God. The satis- 
faction required of us by our God is proportioned to 
the number and enormity of the offences committed. 
This circumstance would urge many to embrace a life 
of fervor and penance, if they had any idea of the 
rigorous penalties which God adjudges to a single 
transgression. In the inspired volume there are 
many examples to prove that, in punishment of our 
sins, we must suffer such afflictions as God sends us, 
and that to these afflictions we ought to add voluntary 
penances of our own. Adam, after the guilt of his 
sin, and consequently its eternal punishment, had 
been forgiven, remained, however, subject to many 
miseries, and to death itself. The Israelites, after 
they had adored a golden calf, and frequently mur- 
mured against the Almighty, were pardoned by God, 



OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 



439 



at the prayer of Moses ; vet. in punishment of the 
same sins which he had forgiven, he condemned them 
to wander forty years in the desert, and never to 
enter the land of promise. 

David, the model of penitents, wept for his sins all 
his life. He fasted, wore haircloth, and rose in the 
night to expiate his sins. (Psalms.) We have also 
a striking proof for voluntary bodily chastisement in 
the example, &c, of the Xinevites. (Jonas hi.) 
And the necessity and efficacy of this voluntary 
punishment is unquestionably shown to us in Job 
xlii. 6 ; Dan. ix. 3. and x. 3 ; Baruch ii. 18. And 
in Jer. vi. 26, we read: u Gird thee with sackcloth, 
O daughter of my people, and sprinkle thee with 
ashes. Make thee mourning as for an only son, a 
bitter lamentation." AVe have similar proofs, equally 
incontestable, in St. Matt. xii. 41 ; Luke x. 13. Of 
ourselves, we cannot say any prayer, perform any 
penitential work, or, in short, do anything pleasing to 
God or available to salvation ; for the efficacy of 
every thought, word, or action acceptable to God 
and meritorious of eternal life proceeds from the 
inexhaustible merits of our divine Redeemer.* He 
who is divine wisdom and infinite goodness has been 
pleased to annex, as a condition of our reigning with 
him, that we should suffer with him. (St. Paul.) 
Can we, then, say that nothing is required from us? 
And even were nothing required from us, could 
we think of our Jesus, in the garden, at the pillar, 
at the courts of Pilate and Herod, on the cross, 
and desire to be exempted from suffering? We 

* The satisfaction which we make for sin, says the council of Trent, cannot 
be called ours, as if it were not through Jesus Christ; for we can do nothing of 
ourselves, (2 Cor. iii. 5.) although we can do allthin.es in Him who strengthenerh 
us. (.Phil. iv. 13.) Man. then, has nothing wherein to glory. All our glory is in 
Christ, in whom we believe, in whom we merit, in whom we make satisfaction, 
bringing forth truits worthy of penance. (Luke iii. 8 ) This fruit lias its efficacy 
from him ,• by him it is offered to the l ather, and through him it is accepted by 
the Father. 



440 OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 



may form some idea of what proportionable satis- 
faction for sin is by the severe penances of the primi- 
tive ages, and still more by the torments of purgatory, 
which exceed all the pains of the present life, and 
which are reserved for those sinners whose offences 
have been remitted, but not sufficiently satisfied for 
in this life. Whence you can perceive how great is 
the error of those who never think of doing or suffer- 
ing any satisfaction for their sins, or .who, at most, 
content themselves with the penance enjoined in con- 
fession ; not reflecting that the infinite justice of God, 
which so often visibly inflicted such severe punish- 
ments on repentant and pardoned sinners, will not be 
satisfied with a few prayers or good works as a rep- 
aration for so many lies, so much anger and pride, so 
much continued negligence in spiritual duties, diso- 
bedience, ill-temper, loss of time, &c, &c. 

Our first and principal duty in recurring to the 
tribunal of penance should be, to do the will of our 
good God ; the second, to humble ourselves for the 
sins, &c, into which we have fallen, and to make 
thus some reparation to his offended majesty ; the 
third, to be reconciled to God, if we have been so 
unfortunate as to lose his grace by mortal sin. and, 
if (as is to be supposed of those who approach often 
to the sacred tribunal) we hope that we are already 
in a state of grace, that we may be more secure of 
his favor, that sanctifying grace may be increased in 
our souls, that our souls may be strengthened by the 
actual graces and other helps attached to this sacra- 
ment — in short, that we may become more pleasing 
to our dear Lord. 

One of the best rules which can be followed with 
respect to confession is, to approach the sacred 
tribunal each time as if it were to be the last : and it 
may indeed be the last. Let us, therefore, make it 
as we would were we sure it would be. We should 



OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. 441 



be convinced that as much purity is requisite to 
receive our Lord in the adorable sacrament of the 
altar as to appear before lrim to be judged ; therefore, 
even though we may have many opportunities of 
recurring to the tribunal of penance, yet we may be 
certain that, at the hour of death, we could not have 
a more serious subject of remorse than multiplied but 
careless confessions. On the other hand, no tongue 
can describe the consolation and peace of those who 
have been wise enough to settle their accounts with 
God in time, and who have not put oft to a season of 
sickness the awful task of preparing for eternity. 

To obtain the dispositions necessary to make a 
good confession, we must make use of such considera- 
tions and meditations as may excite us to them : but, 
above all. we must have recourse to humble, fervent, 
and persevering prayer. 

Since the confession of sins is a duty so repugnant 
to human nature, it may be proper to remark that the 
same divine law which forces on the sinner the obliga- 
tion of confession enjoins also on the confessor the 
strictest obligation of perpetual secrecy, so that he 
cannot, on any account whatsoever, even to save his 
own life, reveal a sin which he knows only by con- 
fession. What he knows only from confession, he 
knows, not as a man. but only as the minister of Jesus 
Christ. There is also a natural obligation of secrecy 
on the part of the penitent as to what is said in con- 
fession : hence the practice of telling the penance, 
and speaking of the advice given by the confessor, 
is rather improper, as it generally argues a degree 
of disrespect towards the sacrament of God's minis- 
ter, and may give others occasion of temptation or 
rash judgment. 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



This confession may he your last; therefore endeavor to 
make it as you would wish to make your la>t. 

BEFORE THE EXAMEN OF CONSCIENCE, 
I. 

Who can understand sins? — Ps. xviii. 13. 
By the transgression of the law thou dishonorest God. — 
Rom. ii. 23. 

Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making 
a mockery of him. — Heb. vi. G. 

OIIOLY and long-enduring God, I prostrate my- 
self before thee in the deepest self-abasement 
of which I am capable. . But O, with what feelings 
should my soul be penetrated in thy presence ! O. I 
wish I could humble myself before thee as my guilt 
and ingratitude deserve. 

ii. 

I desire not the death of him that dicth, saith the Lord 
God; return yc, and live. — Ezech. xviii. 32. 

Thou wilt pardon my sin, for it is great. — Ps. xxiv. 11. 

For thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous in 
mercy to all that call upon thee. — Ps. lxxxv. 5. 

BELIOLD me, then, God of goodness, mercy, 
and compassion ; behold me prostrate before 
thee. Behold the prodigal, nay, worse than the prod- 
igal. I have disfigured and defiled my soul, created 
to thine own image and likeness ; I have sinned 
against Him by whose blood I was redeemed ; I have 
added to the anguish of that heart which endured so 
much for me ; I have, by my sins, renewed the death 

U2 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



443 



and sufferings of my Saviour. O my God, what an 
ungrateful wretch I have been ! O that I had never 
offended thee ! O that my heart could break with 
sentiments of perfect contrition ! But do, my Father 
and my God, do, I beseech thee, grant that I may 
now be truly converted to thee ; make my proud and 
insensible heart truly humble and contrite ; let this 
be the change of thy almighty power. I beg this 
favor through all that thy divine Son, my Jesus, 
has done and suffered for me. 



In that day there shall be a fountain open for the washing 
of the sinner. — Zach. xiii. 1. 

VThose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them. — 
St. John xx. 23. 

OMY JESUS, merciful Author of the life-giving 
sacrament of penance, confiding in that infinite 
goodness and loving condescension which detains thee 
on thy throne of love in the midst of us, I cast myself 
at thy sacred feet ; and I would here thank thee, in 
the best manner I can, for this saving institution, and 
for granting me this opportunity of recurring to it. 
O my blessed Mother, my good angel, angels of our 
sanctuary and of our altar, and all ye saints and 
angels, unite with me in thanking and praising my 
Jesus for his goodness to me and to all poor sinners. 



Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. — 1- 
Tim. i. 15. 

This is the will of God, vour sanctification. — 1 Thess. 
iv. 3. 

Behold, God is my Saviour ; I will deal confidently, and 
will not fear. — Is. xii. 2. 



ALMIGHTY REDEEMER, hope and refuge 



guilty soul. I have, in the multitude of thy tender 



in. 



IV. 




compassion my poor, 



444 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



mercies, entered thy holy temple to prepare myself for 
the reception of the sacrament of reconciliation. But, 
O nry God, and 1113' all, without thy assistance all my 
endeavors to obtain the requisite dispositions v\ ill be 
altogether unavailing. Do, then, I beseech thee, 
pour forth thy grace into my heart, and preserve me 
from the misfortune of performing this holy action 
negligently, or of being deluded with a false sorrow 
and repentance, as I fear I have too often been. 
Grant that I may be deeply penetrated with all those 
feelings and sentiments I should have, in recurring 
to this sacred institution of thy infinite goodness. 
Grant, also, that my first desire in approaching the 
tribunal of reconciliation, and my first motive in 
desiring to be reconciled to thee, may be to accom- 
plish thy divine will. And, O my all-powerful Sa- 
viour, purify, I beseech thee, in the furnace of thy 
own pure love, my miserable heart from all self-seek- 
ing and self-love ; and grant that I may, in every 
part of my preparation for this holy sacrament, be 
guided by thy divine Spirit. I ask this favor in 
th}' own sweet name — that name to which thou hast 
promised to grant whatsoever we should ask of thee, 

v. 

I will search Jerusalem with lamps. — Soph. i. 12. 
But 4f we would judge ourselves, we should not be 
judged. — 1 Cor. xi. 31. 

ETERNAL GOD, my soul is seized with terror 
when I reflect on these thy own words. O, if 
even justice is to be judged, what will become of me, 
a wretch, whose whole life has been a series of sins 
and hhidelities ? O my God, I desire now to judge 
myself in such a manner, that when thou comest to 
judge me thou ma} T est pass a favorable sentence. 
But, my God, I feel that I am ii capable of judging 
myself. O, then, Holy Spirit, eternal source of light, 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



445 



mercifully deign to enlighten thy poor, blind creature, 
that I may discover the deep, concealed weakness and 
misery of my perverse heart ; that I may know my- 
self as much as it is thy will that I should : and that 
the enemy and my own self-love may not deceive me 
in any way whatever. Grant also. that, enlightened 
and warned by thee. I may understand and feel, as 
much as thou wiliest, what it is to offend thee. O 
my Jesus, Friend and Advocate of sinners, present 
thy infinite merits to thy heavenly Father in behalf 
of the soul thou lovedst so much in Bethlehem, in 
Gethsernani. and on Calvary. 

VI. 

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother. — St. 
John xix. 25. 

OMY sweet Mother ! Mother of my Jesus, the 
God of love and compassion, thou hast a 
clearer knowledge than any other created being of 
the excess of his love and mercy towards poor sin- 
ners ; and thou knowest much better the ingratitude 
and deplorable misfortune of the sinner who offends 
him. O, do then, I conjure thee, by that sword of 
sorrow which pierced thy soul at the foot of the cross, 
and by thy knowledge of his love and mercy, obtain, 
for me such sentiments of contrition, that I may be 
perfectly restored to his favor and love, and never 
again do, say, or think anything in the least offen- 
sive to him. 

O my dear guardian angel, to whose care I am 
committed, though I have so often frustrated the 
efforts of thy kind solicitude, do. I humbly conjure 
thee, make use of thy influence with God. and obtain 
for me the favor of making this confession with the 
most perfect dispositions. 

O my holy patrons and patronesses, and all ye 



446 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



blessed inhabitants of heaven, interest yourselves in 
my behalf, and obtain that my conversion may be 
entire. 



EX A MEN OF CONSCIENCE. 

The following examination may serve those who have not 
been to confession for a long time, or those who are preparing 
for a general confession or a review. They who approaeh the 
sacraments weekly, or even less frequently, especially when 
they are accustomed to a daily examination of their con- 
science, have no need of resorting to such a table of sins. 

ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS . 

1. I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange 
gods before me. 

CONSIDER whether you gave to any creature, or 
to any vice, the love of preference which is due 
to God alone. How far? How often? 

Whether you wilfully doubted of any article of 
faith, or whether you have rashly exposed yourself 
to the danger of infidelity, by reading bad books, or 
keeping wicked company. How often? 

Have you by word or deed denied your religion, or 
gone to places of false worship, so as to join in the 
worship, or to give scandal? How often? 

Have you been ignorant of the articles of your 
creed, of the commandments, or of any of those 
things which Christians in your station are bound to 
know ? For how long a time ? 

Have you despaired of salvation, or of the forgive- 
ness of your sins? Or have you rashly presumed upon 
finding mercy ; going on in your sins without an}' 
thoughts of amendment ; or depending upon a death- 
bed repentance ? How long have you been this way ? 

Have you, after falling into mortal sin, neglected 
for a long time to turn to God by repentance ? and for 
how long a time ? 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



447 



Have you neglected your morning or evening 
prayers ? How often ? How long ? 

Have you made a sacrilegious confession or com- 
munion, by concealing some mortal sin in confession, 
or what you doubted might be mortal ; or by being 
grossly negligent in the examination of your con- 
science ? How often ? 

Have you received confirmation or matrimony in 
the state of mortal sin? 

Have you neglected to perform the penance en- 
joined in confession, or said it with wilful distrac- 
tions ? How often ? 

Have you employed prayers, or sacred names, to 
superstitious uses ? How often ? 

Have you profaned the Holy Scripture by any 
whimsical or unauthorized interpretation or construc- 
tion ? Have you profaned or abused holy places or 
things consecrated to God? How often? 

Have you believed hi fatality, magic, or supersti- 
tion ? How far ? 

Have you believed in dreams, consulted fortune- 
tellers, or have you done any such unmeaning and 
wicked thing ? How often ? 

2. Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain. 

CONSIDER whether you have trifled with the 
name of God by using it irreverently. How 
often ? 

Whether you have taken false or rash oaths, or in- 
duced others to do so. How often? 

Whether you have cursed or sworn, or caused 
others to do so ? How often ? 

Whether you have violated your lawful oaths, or 
led others to do so. How often? 

Whether you have executed what you rashly swore 
to do. How often? 



448 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION'. 



3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day. 

CONSIDER whether you have neglected to sanc- 
tify the Lord's day, either by omitting Mass 
without sufficient cause, or hearing it irreverently. 
How often? 

Whether you have neglected to assist at the even- 
ing service of the Church, commonly called Vespers. 

Whether you have spent the Sunday, or any part 
of it, in servile work, without necessity. How often? 

4. Honor thy father and thy mother. 
Duties of Children. 

CONSIDER whether you have shown any disre- 
spect to your parents. Whether you have an- 
swered them in a petulant manner, grieved them, 
or provoked them to anger. Whether you have 
neglected them in sickness, poverty, or any other 
necessity. Whether you have disowned them, or 
been ashamed of them before others, through pride. 
Whether you have abused or cursed them. How 
often ? 

• Whether you have stolen from your parents, or 
squandered their substance. Whether you lifted your 
hand against them. How often? 

Whether you were impatient or peevish when they 
reminded you of j r our faults. Whether you disre- 
garded their good advice. How often? 

Whether you neglected to execute their will after 
their death, or delayed unnecessarily to do so. 
Whether you have shown contempt or disobedience 
to your lawful superiors, spiritual or temporal* How 
often ? 

Whether you have shown contempt or disrespect to 
aged persons. How often? 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



449- 



Duties of Servants, Workmen, &c, to their Masters 
and Employers. 

CONSIDER whether you have been proud, mur- 
muring, or disobedient towards your masters or 
employers. How often? 

„ Whether yovl have been inattentive to the business 
intrusted to your care. How far? How often? 

Whether you have disregarded the just and reason- 
able interest of } T our master or employer. How far ? 
How often? 

Whether you have wilfully permitted them to be 
injured in their person, their property, or their char- 
acter. How far? How often? 

Whether you have committed theft, told lies, or 
sworn falsely to please them, when you knew you 
should not violate the law of God for any one. How 
often ? 

Duties of Parents. 

PARENTS should take notice that, if their chil- 
dren owe them respect, love, and obedience, 
they themselves are bound to discharge certain du- 
ties, on the faithful performance of which depends, 
in a great measure, the conduct of their children. 
Consider, therefore, whether you have loved your 
children with a Christian love ; correcting them for 
their faults in a Christian manner ; that is, with firm- 
ness, without temper, and. at the favorable moment. 

Have you not allowed them, much to their physical 
and moral detriment, to eat as much and as often as 
their appetite, whim, or fancy dictated ? 

Have } T ou neglected to teach your children, or have 
them taught, the principles of the faith? 

Have you neglected their timely education, accord- 
ing to your means, or their presumed station in life ? 
Have you given them scandal? How far? 
29 



450 



DEVOTIONS 3ZFORE CONFESSION. 



Have you been too severe on them ? 
Have you compelled them to a particular state of 
life, or obliged them to marry a particular person? 

Duties of Masters and other Superiors towards those 
under their Care. 

CONSIDER whether you took sufficient care to 
govern your servants, or those under your 
charge, in their manners and conversation. 

Have you afforded them time to say their prayers 
morning and evening: to hear Mass on Sundays and 
holydavs ; and to approach the sacraments? 

Have you ever ordered your servants, or those 
under your charge, to do that which you knew was 
wrong? How often ? 

Have you ill-used them? How far? How often? 
Have you omitted to pay them their wages, or de- 
layed it from them? 

5. Thou shaft not kill. 

CONSIDER whether you did any act that was 
likely to lead to the death of a fellow-creature : 
whether you encouraged others to do so. or desired it 
in your heart. How often? 

Have you desired any one's death, through hatred, 
malice, or self-interest? 

Have you provoked, challenged, or struck others, 
or been guilty of quarrelling or lighting ? How often ? 

Have you procured, or thought to procure, or aided 
or assisted to procure, or advised abortion, or miscar- 
riage ? Have you desired your own death through 
passion or impatience? How often? 

Have you entertained a deliberate hatred for any 
fellow-creature ? 

Have you exercised tyranny, cruelty, or oppression 
towards your debtors, or others within your power ; 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 451 

especially towards widows, orphans, or the poor? 
How often? 

Have you refused pardon to those who did you 
injury? 

Have you taken private revenge for real or sup- 
posed injuries; suborned others to do it, or desired 
it in your heart ? How often ? 

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

As regards Married People. 

CONSIDER whether you have thought, done, or 
said anything that may tend to a violation of 
those promises of fidelity made to your partner at 
marriage. How far have you been guilty in this 
respect ? 

As regards Unmarried People. 

CONSIDER whether you have thought, done, or 
said anything that might tend to the dishonor or 
abuse of your person. How far and how often have 
you offended in this respect ? 

As regards Persons in general. 

CONSIDER whether you have given scandal by 
any levity or impropriety in your conduct or 
conversation. Was it before the young and unsus- 
pecting? Have you made use of words of double 
meaning ? How far and how often ? 

7. Thou shalt not steal. 

CONSIDER whether you have possessed, or do 
possess, unjustly, the property of your neigh- 
bor. Whether by fraud in traffic, injustice in weight 
or measure, or oppression by usury. How far ? How 
often ? 

Have you bought or received goods from suspicious 



452 DEVOTIONS BEFOKE CONFESSION. 



persons? Have you, through malice, envy, or re- 
venge, done injury to your neighbor's property? 

Have you contracted debts beyond your means? 

Have you persecuted your fellow-creatures by ex- 
pensive lawsuit- ? 

Have you declined, when in your power, to pay 
your just debts? 

Have you refused or delayed to make restitution for 
the injury done your neighbor, when in your power ? 

Have you refused to fulfil your just promises, and 
thereby caused distress or disappointment to your 
neighbor? How far? How often? 

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, 

CONSIDER whether you ever privately or publicly 
swore, said, or insinuated that which was false, 
or doubtful, against your neighbor. 

Whether von spoke ill of him. Whether you called 
him by abusive names. Whether you declined to de- 
fend his character, when it was your duty to do so. 

Whether you flattered people in their crimes and 
excesses. How often? 

Whether you accused them of faults of which you 
knew, o]- had reason to doubt, that they were inno- 
cent. How often ? 

Whether you made known the private sins of others ; 
opened their letters without permission. Whether you 
listened to the private conversation of others. How 
often ? 

Whether you set your neighbors at variance by 
relating the private business of one to another. How 
often ? • 

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. 

CONSIDER whether you entertained, with deliber- 
ate pleasure, thoughts on those sins prohibited 
by the Sixth Commandment. How often? iC Evil 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 453 

thoughts are an abomination to the Lord." (Prov. 
xv. 26.) 

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. 

COXSIDER whether you have dwelt with deliber- 
ate pleasure on those sins prohibited by the 
Seventh Commandment. 



ON THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH. 

1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holy days of 

obligation. 

COXSIDER whether 3-ou have committed any of 
the faults enumerated under the Third Com- 
mandment of the Decalogue. 

2. To fast and to abstain from flesh meat on cer- 

tain days. 

COXSIDER whether you have omitted to fast dur- 
ing Lent, or at other times appointed by the 
Church, without a dispensation, or without sufficient 
cause. How often? 

Whether you have eaten meat on prohibited days, 
without sufficient reason. How often? 

3. To confess one's sins at least once a year. 

COXSIDER whether }^ou have suffered the year 
to pass without approaching the tribunal of 
penance. 

Whether you neglected the due examination of your 
conscience before going to confession. 

Whether you have concealed any mortal sin, or so 
colored it as to make it appear less grievous. 

Whether you have received absolution with sincere 
sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment. 



454 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



Whether you have disputed with your director, when 
he gave you advice, instead of bowing submissively 
to his counsels. 

Whether you neglected the due fulfilment of your 
sacramental penance, or deferred it without necessity. 

4. To receive the blessed Eucharist at Easter, or 
thereabouts. 

CONSIDER whether you neglected to receive the 
sacrament of the eucharist at paschal time from 
the hands of your pastor, or his representative. 

5. To contribute to the support of your pastors. 

CONSIDER whether you omitted, without neces- 
sity, to pay to your legitimate spiritual pastor 
the contribution for his support which prescription 
has established in your localUy. 

G. Xot to solemnize marriage in times forbidden, or 
within the forbidden degrees of kindred. 

CONSIDER whether you gave scandal by disre- 
garding the ordinances of the Church regarding 
the time of your marriage, or the marriage of any one 
else, over whom you may have had control. 

Whether you were culpably ignorant of the rela- 
tionship between the parties to be married, or whether 
you wilfully concealed it. 

Whether you disregarded the prudent advice of 
your parents. Whether you neglected to consult 
God. or your confessor, or your friends, when you 
were arranging to get married. 

Whether you made an elopement, or intended to do 
so at the time of your marriage ; or whether you aided 
or advised others to do so. 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



455 



Whether you neglected to give timely notice to your 
pastor of your intended marriage. 

Whether you had in view your spiritual, no less 
than your temporal advantage, at the time of \~our 
marriage. 

Whether you have taken all the necessary precau- 
tions to guard against the evils that might follow from 
a mixed marriage. 



ON THE SEVEN CAPITAL OR DEADLY SINS. 

Pride. 

CONSIDER how far you have been proud, over- 
bearing, or tyrannical towards your dependants ; 
ill-mannered or offensive towards your equals ; dis- 
obedient, insolent, or disrespectful to your superiors. 

Covetousness. 

CONSIDER how far and how often you have in- 
dulged in an excessive love of this world and 
the things of this world. How far and how often you 
have desired or affected unjust possessions, fraudu- 
lent profit, iniquitous gain. How far and how often 
you have been guilty of hardheartedness, injustice, 
and cruelty, in order to save, or procure money. 
TV nether, through pride, ambition, or presumption, 
you have been dissatisfied with your condition in life, 
and murmured against the will of God. 

Envy. 

CONSIDER how far and how often you have been 
guilty of envying your neighbor's spiritual or 
temporal prosperity. Have you grieved at his good 
fortune, or rejoiced at his adversity? How far and 
how often have you unjustly dispraised him or his 
actions ? 



453 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



Anger. 

CONSIDER how far and how often you may have 
indulged in anger, passion, impatience, or ex- 
citement, for little or no cause. 

Gluttony, 

C CONSIDER how far and how often you may 
/ have indulged in excess in eating or drinking. 
Whether you have lived above your means. 

Lust. 




EE. on this head, what has been already said on 
the Sixth and Ninth Commandments of (Sod. 



Sloth, 

CONSIDER how far and how often you may have 
yielded to that animal feeling of a distaste for 
the tilings of God, or for the invisible goods of the 
life to come, llow far and how often you may have 
indulged in carelessness and indifference in the dis- 
charge of your religious duties. How far and how 
often you may have been inconstant in your good 
resolutions ; neglectful in your calling ; ungrateful to 
God for his favors ; or faithless to your friends. 

Whether you gave or entertained a slothful prefer- 
ence to idleness or poverty, rather than labor honor- 
ably and industriously for your own support. 

Observe, that in each of those sins, of which you 
may be guilty, you may not only be guilty of your 
own sin. but of the sins of others, by "counselling, 
commanding, consenting to. or praising the sin of 
another ; assisting, or otherwise sharing in it. not 
hindering it when you could, and by concealing it, 
when it may be your duty to make it known." You 
may be guilty of the sins of others also, by showing 
them a bad example. 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



45'7 



AFTER THE EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE. 
I. 

The heart is deceitful above all things. 

OTHOU who canst do whatsoever thou wiliest, 
enlighten my blindness, that I may discover all 
the faults and defects there may have been in the 
examination of my conscience, and in the judgment 
I have formed of myself; that I ma}' know myself, 
and make myself known to thy minister. 

ii. 

Know thou, and see, that it is an evil and a bitter thing for 
thee to have left the Lord thy God. — Jer. ii. 19. 

I HAVE sinned, and have thereby lost the friend- 
ship of thee, my Creator, my Preserver, my Re- 
deemer, and my God. I have made myself a slave to 
thy enemy and mine. I have exposed myself to the 
never-ending pains of hell ; to eternal separation from 
thee, my God. But, more than this — I have, by my 
sins, renewed the cause of my Saviour's sufferings ; I 
have offended Him who loved me ami delivered him- 
self a willing victim, to bleed and die, that I might 
live ; I have offended Him who, on account of his own 
infinite perfections, and for his own sake, should 
possess an undivided and devoted love. O, how 
happy are those who have never offended thee, my 
God ! O that I had been so happy ! But I resolve, 
with the assistance of thy divine grace, without which 
I can do nothing, never more to offend thee. I would 
much rather die than be again guilt}' of even the least 
sin : for the least offence against thee is something 
inconceivably great. Too late have I known thee, O 
eternal truth ; too late have I loved thee, beauty 
r ancient and ever new. 



4c8 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION". 



III. 

We have an Advocate with the Father . . . always Living 
to make intercession for us. — 1 John ii. 1 ; IIeb. vii. 'Jo. 

OMY divine, my merciful Saviour, I am filled 
with fear and trembling at the thought of mv 
sins, my wretched weakness, and the many other 
miseries of my poor soul; but 1 am encouraged and 
consoled, when I remember that thou art my Advo- 
cate and I behold thee pleading my cause with thy 
heavenly Father. Thou knowest all my necessities ; 
thou seest the desires of my heart. 

IV. 

To thee only have I sinned. — P>. 1. C>. 

The mercies of the Lord I will sing forever. — Ps. 
lxxxviii. 1. 

O INFINITE goodness, it is against thee I have 
sinned, and it is thou thyself that pro\ idest the 
means for my return. Thou mightest have been long 
ago glorified in thy justice by condemning me to 
hell; yet thou didst spare me; and, notwithstanding 
my weekly, nay. daily treasons and offences against 
thee, thou hast not only preserved my life, hut hast 
continually cherished me with innumerable special 
graces ; and, goodness inconceivable, thou now 
callest upon me to cast my sinful soul into the bath of 
thy own precious blood. 

v. 

He was offered because it was his own will. — Is. liii. 7. 
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. — lb. 
liii. 6. 

My soul is sorrowful even unto death. — St. Mark xiv. 34. 

"TV TY soul is sorrowful even unto death ! " Who 
-L>J_ is he that utters this expression, and for 
whom does he utter it? My poor, guilty soul, it is 



DEA'OTIOXS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



459 



thy Saviour, thy Jesus, the great God of heaven and 
earth, the God of all holiness ; and it is for thy sins 
that he is sorrowful, and sorrowful even unto 
death. Approach ; behold the adorable blood gush- 
ing from every sacred pore ; his soul is in a sea of 
anguish ; his merciful heart is pierced by as many darts 
as we have committed sins. O my Saviour, by all that 
thou didst surfer for me in this bitter hour, grant that 
I may, to the end of my life, unceasingly lament and 
detest, from the purest love of thee, each one of my 
sins. Alas ! each one added new anguish to thy ago- 
nized heart. 

Behold, O heavenly Father, my Jesus sorrowful for 
my sins, even unto death, and permit me to offer his 
sorrow to supply my want of sorrow. 

VI. 

He was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our 
sins ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his 
bruises we are healed. — Is. liii. 5. 

OGOD of love, O goodness inconceivable, how 
hard my heart must be, that it is not wrung with 
anguish at the sight of its sins, at the thought that it 
has offended thee ! My God, I am soriy for this in- 
sensibility of my poor heart ; and I resolve, with the 
assistance of thy holy grace, to show by my actions, 
by my carefulness, to avoid everything in the least 
offensive to thee, that I am grateful for thy infinite 
love and mercy in my regard. Accept, O my God, 
in thy great mercy, the poor remains of my life. I 
am sincerely sorry for the years I have misspent. 
They have vanished as a shadow ; they have passed 
away without fruit. But, as I cannot recall them, 
accept nry desire to think of them in the bitterness 
of my soul. 



460 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE CONFESSION. 



VII. 

And when they were come to the plaice which is called 
Calvary, they crucified him there. — St. Li ke xxiii. 'do. 
You are hought with a great price. — 1 Cor. vi. 20. 

O JESUS, my Lord, how can I endure the thought 
that for my offences thou art sacrificed, that by 
my hand thou art immolated ? my soul, dear-bought 
purchase of a Saviour's blood, lift up thy eyes, and 
behold the adorable Victim of thy guilt, or rather of 
his own and his Father's love for thee. Approach : 
kneel at the foot of his sacred cross. O my adorable 
Redeemer, hear me. a poor wretch, making supplica- 
tion to thee. Let thy sacred blood flow on my guilty 
soul ; let thy divine voice ascend : let thy wounds, thy 
bruised and mangled body, plead with thy heavenly 
Fill her in my behalf: and grant that I may be washed 
from my iniquities and cleansed from my sins, and that 
I may be clothed with the garments of salvation and 
the robe of justice. Receive me into thy extended 
arms : shelter me in thy sacred heart : and with thy 
precious blood seal me thy own forever. 



TO BE OBSERVED BY THE PENITENT. 

When you find yourself heartily sorry for having offended 
God, and fully determined for the time to come to amend y<mr 
life, and avoid all mortal sins and the immediate occasions of 
them, then humbly approach the tribunal of penance, and. 
kneeling by the priest, make the sign of the cross, and a>k 
his blessinLT. saving, " Father, bless me. for I have sinned. " 
After receiving the blessing, say the Confiteor to "thrungh 
my most grievous fault:" then begin a plain, entire, and de- 
creet confession of your sins, thus : 11 Since my last confes- 
sion, which was a week, a fortnight, or a month ago. I have; 
or I have not. complied witli my penance, and I accuse my- 
self that avoiding superfluous accusations or irrelevant 

matter, neither obscuring your offences by ambiguous expres- 
sions, nor concealing any mortal sin or any circumstance which 



TO BE OBSERVED BY THE PENITENT. 461 



either aggravates it? heinousness or change? its natnre : men- 
tion how often you have committed it, and fail not to state 
whether it be habitual. Having sincerely declarer] all you can 
remember, conclude thus : '-For these and all other sins and 
imperfections, which I cannot call to mind, I am heartily sorry, 
purpose amendment for the future, and humbly ask pardon of 
God, and penance and absolution of you, my ghostly father^" 
Then, humbly bowing down, finish the Conjiteor, saying, 
"Therefore I beseech thee," &c. 

This being concluded, you must listen attentively to the 
instructions of the priest, accept with humility the penance he 
enjoins, and, whilst he imparts absolution, renew your sorrow, 
and make the following or some other act of contrition : 

O MERCIFUL God, as. at the words of thy angel, 
the chains fell off from the feet of St. Peter, and 
he immediately was restored to liberty, so grant that by 
the words of this holy sacrament, pronounced by the 
priest, the chains of my sins ma}* be loosed, and all 
my offences pardoned. Amen. 

O God, be merciful to me a sinner. 
Jesus. Son of David, have rnercy on me. 
Thou who suffered for me, have mercy on me. 



DEVOTIONS AFTER CONFESSION. 



ES, O God of goodness and mercy, I have, just 



X now, been absolved, by virtue of the power 
which thou hast granted to the ministers of thy 
Church. That sentence of mercy and forgiveness 
has restored me to thy favor, if. as I wish and hope 
to have done, I have approached the sacred tribunal 
with the requisite dispositions. This is the effect of 
the precious blood thou hast shed for me, O Jesus, 
my God and Saviour. Yes, thou hast loved me, and 
washed me from my sins in thy own blood. 

Give thanks to God for his infinite love and mercy. 




LESS the Lord. O my soul, and let all that is 

within me bless his holy name. 



Bless the Lord. my soul, and never forget all he 
hath done for thee ; 

Who forgiveth all thy iniquities ; who healeth all 
thy diseases ; 

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who 
crowneth thee with mercy and compassion ; 

Who satisfieth thy desire with good things : thy 
youth shall be renewed like the eagle's. 

The Lord doeth mercies and judgment for all that 
suffer wrong. 



i. 



Thy sins are forgiven thee. — St. Mark ii. 5. 




PSALM Cll. 



462 



DEVOTIONS AFTER C0XFE5SI0X. 



463 



He hath made his ways known to Moses, his wills 
tc the children of Israel. 

The Lord is compassionate and merciful ; long-suf- 
fering and plenteous in mercy. 

He will not always be angry, nor will he threaten 
forever. 

He hath not dealt with us according, to our sins, 
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 

For according to the height of the heaven above 
the earth, he hath strengthened his niercy towards 
them that fear him. 

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he 
removed our iniquities from us. 

As a. father hath compassion on his children, so 
hath the Lord compassion on them that fear him. 

For he knoweth our frame ; he remembereth that 
we are dust. 

Man's days are as grass ; as the flower of the field 
so shall he flourish. 

For the spirit shall pass in him, and he shall not 
be ; and he shall know his place no more. 

But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity and 
unto eternity upon them that fear him ; 

And his justice unto children's children, to such as 
keep his covenant, 

And are mindful of his commandments to do them. 

The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven : and 
his kingdom shall rule over all- 
Bless the Lord, all ye his angels ; you that are 
mighty in strength, and execute his word, hearken- 
ing to the voice of his orders. 

Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts ; yon ministers of 
his that do his will. 

Bless the Lord, all his works ; in every place of his 
dominion, O my soul, bless thou the Lord. 

Glory be to the Father. &c. 



464 



DEVOTIONS AFTER CONFESSION. 



n. 



Behold, thou art made whole : sin no more. — St John - v. 14. 



ing to the multitude of thy tender mercies, hast 
vouchsafed, once more, to receive this prodigal child, 
nay. worse than the prodigal, and to admit me to the 
sacrament of 'reconciliation. I give thee thanks with 
all the powers of my soul, for this, and all thy other 
mercies, graces, and blessings bestowed on me. the 
most unworthy of all sinners ; and prostrating myself 
now at thy sacred feet. I otter myself, to be hence- 
forward and forever thine. O. let nothing in life or 
death ever separate me from thee. I once more re- 
nounce, with my whole soul, all my treasons against 
thee, and all the abominations and sins of my past 
life. I renew my promises made in baptism, and my 
holy vows ; and from this moment I dedicate myself 
eternally to thy love and service. O grant, that, for 
the time to come. 1 may keep my heart with all watch- 
fulness, abhor sin. and fear even the shadow of it more 
than anything whatsoever. I resolve henceforward to 
sutler anything rather than offend thee, and to avoid 
most carefully every occasion of even the least infi- 
delity to thee. I beg thy blessing upon these my 
resolutions, that they may not be ineffectual, like so 
many others I have formerly made. For, O Lord, 
without thee I am nothing but misery and sin. Sup- 
ply also, by thy mercy, whatever defects have been 
in this my confession. I am sensible it has been very 
imperfect, and that I was far from having that true 
sorrow which the heinousness of my sins required ; but 
let the precious blood of thy well-beloved Son supply 
the deficiency. Accept my poor performance, such 
as it is. and give me grace to be now and always 
a true penitent, through the same Jesus Christ, thy 
JSon. Amen. 




merciful God. who. accord- 



DEVOTIONS AFTER CONFESSION. 465 



III. 



Forget not the kindness of thy surety, for he hath grren 
his life for thee. — Ecclus. xxix. 19. 



MY divine Saviour, it is my ardent desire never 



to forget thy unspeakable kindness, and to do 
all in my power to return, in the best way I can. thy 
unmerited mercy in my regard. But. O my God. 
how can a poor sinful atom make any return to thee ? 
Goodness inconceivable I all that thou desirest is my 
poor unworthy heart. Behold it then ; I offer it to 
thee without any reserve : remove from it. I beseech 
thee, every thing in the least displeasing to thee, and 
fill it with divine charity, that it may be an abode in 
which thou wilt delight to dwell ; reign sovereign in 
it now and forever. 



MOTHER of my Jesus, remember that thou art 
also my Mother : my soul was committed to thy 
care by our Jesus, and he himself has given thee to 
me for my Mother : do then. I beseech thee, my 
sweet Mother, obtain that I may receive from this 
holy sacrament all the fruits which it is his will it 
should produce in my soul. And. O my blessed 
Mother, by all the anguish thou didst feel in being 
separated from thy divine Son. obtain for me that 
perfect love which will keep me united to him in time 
and in eternity. Show thyself my Mother. 

my good angel, my guide and guardian, my holy 
patrons, and all ye angels and saints, intercede for 
me ; obtain that I may keep all my good resolutions. 




IV. 



Behold thy Mother, — St. John xix. 27. 



463 



DEVOTIONS AFTER CONFESSION. 



T. 

The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which 

was lost. — St. Luke xix. 10. 

There shall be joy before the angels of God upon one sin- 
ner doing penance. — St. Luke xv. 10. 

O MERCIFUL Redeemer, by all thou hast done 
and suffered for poor sinners, grant to them all. 
I beseech thee, the grace of true repentance. 

O holy Mother of our Jesus, obtain that all poor 
sinners may recur to this salutary remedy, prepared 
for them from all eternity, in the designs of his love 
and mercy. 



A METHOD OF OFFERING THE PENANCE EN- 
JOINED IX CONFESSION. 

Accusmm jronrself to direct your intention, before you 
recite your sacramental penance, fervently uniting it to the 
Bufferings and merits of Christ. Tins may be done by the 
following, or any similar short prayer : 

OMY God and my Creator, I offer thee the pen- 
ance I am about to perform : thou didst impose 
it on me by the ministry of my confessor, and I 
desire to perform it with the utmost contrition, devo- 
tion, and humility. But. Lord, since thou well know- 
est that it is inadequate to my sins, and that any- 
thing I could do would be incapable of blotting out 
the least of my offences, permit me to unite this 
penance, as well as all the actions, pains, and suffer- 
ings of my life, to the latter sufferings of my Re- 
deemer, to the great sacrifice of expiation which Jesus 
offered on Mount Calvary for my sins : also to the 
merits of the Blessed Virgin, to the penance and 
sufferings of nil the saints and all the just, that there- 
by the deficiencies of my imperfect satisfaction may 
be abundantly supplied. 



DEVOTIONS AFTER CONFESSION. 



467 



OTHER PRAYERS AETER CONFESSION", 

"WHICH MAY BE USED INSTEAD OF THE PRECEDING. 

0. praise the Lord, all ye nations : praise him. all ye peo- 
ple. For his mercy is confirmed upon us : and the truth of 
the Lord remaineth forever. Glory. Szc. — Psalm cxvi. 

OlMEECIFUL Bedeemer of my soul, what praise, 
love, and thanks shall I return thee for having 
made a bath of thy blood, and a garment of thy 
grace, to cleanse my defiled soul in the sacrament of 
penance? Let my body, soul, and all that is within 
me. bless thee eternally : and let heaven, earth, and 
all that is within them say. Amen. 

Eeceive. I beseech thee. O my dear Lord, by the 
bowels of thy mercy, by the merits of thy Mother, 
and by the merits of all thy blessed saints, this mv 
confession : let it be pleasing to thy sacred majesty, 
and profitable to my own soul : let thy infinite sweet- 
ness of love, and bitterness of sorrow, supply all its 
defects : whether it be want of fervent contrition, or 
perfect integrity, of humility, of charity, of simpli- 
city, of a true sense and feeling of the heincusness 
of my sins, of a full resolution of amendment, or any 
other circumstance, negligence, or error wdiatsoever. 

Forget and forgive. my God. I beseech thee, all 
the crimes and ingratitude of my past life. and. in 
particular, whatever may have escaped my memory 
in this confession. I am sincerely sorry for all that 
I have done offensive to thee. I renounce all that is 
opposed to thy perfect love. I resign my body and 
soul to do penance, and to make all possible satisfac- 
tion. And lastly, for thy own sake, sweet Jesus, I 
beseech thee to pardon all my sins, relying on thy 
goodness, confiding in thy mercy, rejoicing that thou 
art so loving, and so worthy of all love, so good in 



468 



DEVOTIONS AFTER CONFESSION. 



thyself, so good to all others, and so good tome, the 
least and worst of all. 

Let all creatures join with me this day. and for all 
eternity, in loving, honoring, serving, and praising 
thee, my glorious Creator, my gracious Redeemer, my 
liberal Sanctilier. Admit me. my Jesus, as one 
of thy lowliest servants ; grunt that I may live and 
die in the performance of my resolutions ; in obedi- 
ence and submission to thy holy will; grant that I 
may nevermore offend thee, hut loathe and abhor the 
Very name and shadow of sin. more than death or 
hell itself. Teach me, Lord, how to persevere in 
thy love, and to correspond to my holy vocation, 
with a zealous fervor, joined with prudence and dis- 
cretion ; that serving thee, my sovereign Lord and 
Master, during my abode in this prison of mortality, 
with fidelity, in the spirit of humility, charity, and 
simplicity. I may. at the end of my life, be admitted 
to my heavenly and eternal home ; and that 1 may 
forever sing thy mercies, for having used such sweet 
and efficacious means to bring me to thee, my God 
and my all. 



AX OFFERING 

OF OUR DIVINE SAVIOUR'S THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND ACTIONS, 
IN ATONEMENT FOR OUR SINS OF THOUGHT, WORD, AND 
ACTION. 

OMY God and Saviour, graciously vouchsafe to 
remember all those holy thoughts that have 
passed in thy divine mind, from the beginning of the 
world to this very moment, and particularly thy 
tender design of becoming man for the redemption 
of the world ; pardon, through the merits of these, 



DEVOTIONS AFTEK CONFESSION. 



439 



not only all the evil thoughts and vain imaginations 
I have ever conceived of myself, but also those which 
I may have excited in the minds of others. Amen. 

O most loving Redeemer, I, a poor sinner, do hum- 
bly remind thee of all the words of salvation which 
ever fell from thy sacred lips, or which others have 
uttered, or shall hereafter utter, to the glory of thy 
holy name. I earnestly beseech thee, through these 
holy expressions, to forgive whatever I have spoken 
offensive to thee, or what others, through my means, 
may have sinfully uttered. Amen. 

O my divine Saviour and model, look on all the 
good works thou hast performed for my salvation, 
and be pleased now to pardon whatever I have 
committed against thee. Mercifully direct all my 
thoughts, words, and actions to thy greater glory, 
and regulate them by the model of thine own blessed 
life. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS 

BEFORE HOLY COMMUNION. 



The following or similar aspirations may be used whilst 

preparing fur Communion : 

OMY blessed Mother, obtain for me some por- 
tion of those virt lies irhich made thee so agree- 
able to God as to draw upon thee the favor of being 
the Mother of our Jesus. Remember it is the same 
Jesus that I am to receive, and assist me in prepar- 
ing my poor heart i'<>r his reception. 

O my good angel, it is your Lord, as well as mine, 
that I am going to receive : help me to receive him 
worthily, &C. 

O my God, I have in myself nothing worthy of 
thee; but I desire now. more than ever, to receive 
thee worthily, to have more faith, more hope. &e. 

O Jesus, my God, I am not worthy to reeeive thee, 
on account of my grievous and manifold sins, my 
innumerable infidelities, and my little love for thee, 
&c. But say only the word, and my soul shall be 
healed. Thou canst with one word supply every- 
thing that is wanting in me. Say it, then, I beseech 
thee, my merciful Saviour. 

My sweet Saviour. I long to reeeive thee, not only 
that I maybe freed from my miseries, but chiefly that 
I may have the happiness of being united to thee : 
and since thou art so good as to desire to unite 
thyself to me, do thou thyself. I beseech thee, prepare 
me for the honor thou deignest to confer on me. 

470 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



471 



On the morning of your communion, place yourself in the 
presence of God : invoke the intercession of the Blessed Vir- 
gin, your guardian angel, your holy patrons, and all the saints 
and angels. Reflect that it may be your last communion. 
Were you certain it would be your last, with what devotion 
and recollection would you not prepare for it ! 



Verily thou art a hidden God. the God of Israel, the Sa- 
viour. — Is. xlv. 

The bread which I will give is my flesh. — St. Johx vi. 52. 



MY Jesus, true God and true Man. of the same 



V_y/ substance, power, and majesty with thy eternal 
Father. I believe, with a firm faith, that thou art truly 
and really present in this adorable sacrament. I be- 
lieve it firmly, because, to believe it. I desire no more 
than thy own words. " This is my body." (St. Luke 
xxii. 19.) I believe ; Lord, do thou increase my 
faith. 



You shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's foun- 
tains. — Is. xii. 3. 

Thou art God my Saviour. — Ps. xxiv. 5. 

OWHAT may I not hope for after receiving thee, 
my merciful Saviour ! With a single touch or 
word thou gavest hearing to the deaf, sight to the 
blind, speech to the dumb, the faculty of walking to 
the lame, health to the sick, and even life to the dead. 
Thou, therefore, may est now. my Lord and my God, 
as easily grant me whatsoever I want for soul or body ; 
thou comest to fill me with thy blessings. Come, then, 
O. come, and help my miserable soul. Behold how 
poor it is : it contains nothing fit for thy reception. 
Adorn it with all those virtues that will make it a 
habitation in which thou wilt delight to dwell — a 
habitation less unworthy of thee. 



i. 




ii. 



472 



DEVO'xiOXS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



III. 

Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my 
roof. — St. Matt. viii. 8. 

MY Lord and my God. how dare I. a vile sinner, 
presume to approach to thee? The heavenly 
spirits think themselves unworthy to stand in thy 
presence ; how. then, ought I. a worm of the earth, 
who have so often crucified thee by my sins, tremble 
to receive thee into my breast! my Lord, I am 
not worthy ; hut what more can I do to obtain pardon 
lor my sins, hut humbly confess them, and heartily 
repent of them? This, by thy grace, I desire to do, 
to the best of my power; and I wish I could do it 
more effectually. () my God, I am sorry tor my sins, 
not so much lor the punishment to which they have 
exposed me as because sin is offensive to thee. I 
beseech thee to deprive me of lite rather than permit 
me ever again to displease thee by any wilful infi- 
delity. 

IV. 

Be of good heart. . . . They that are in health need not a 
physician, but they that are sick. — Matt. ix. 2, 12. 

MY Saviour. I will then approach to thee, because 
my soul is sick, and in need of the abundance 
of thy graces and the multitude of thy mercies. I am 
subject to innumerable faults, tepid and inconstant in 
my duty to thee ; but it is only thou, my adorable 
Physician, that canst remedy my miseries and my 
weaknesses ; thou who art the God of mercy and the 
bread that strengthens the soul. 

v. 

The earth was moved, and the heavens dropped, at the 
presence of the God of Israel. — Ps. lxvii. 9. 
It is good to trust in the Lord. — Ps. cxvii. 9. 

O SOVEREIGN Lord of heaven and earth, shall 
thy exalted grandeur discourage and confound 
thy unworthy creature ? Shall I flee from the face of 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



473 



Him in whose presence the pillars of heaven tremble, 
and before whom the angelic choirs are not found 
spotless? Xo. omnipotent goodness, thou hast cre- 
ated my soul for thyself, and it can never be satisfied 
without thee ; and, though I tremble at the sight of 
my un worthiness, yet the remembrance of thy infinite 
goodness fills my soul with consolation and hope. I 
will. then, unite myself to thee, who art my Lord and 
my God. the Friend and Saviour of my soul. O. send 
forth thy Spirit : prepare thyself the heart thou hast 
chosen for thy tabernacle, and for the repository of 
thy sacred, adorable body. Like the idols of Egypt, 
let my passions fall prostrate and be annihilated at 
thy approach : let the mountains of my pride crumble 
at the view of thy profound humiliation ; and let thy 
divine example teach me to be meek and hunible of 
heart, that in thee, and by thee, I may find rest to 
my soul. 

YI. 

Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy. — Ps. cxviii. 
124. 

Show forth thy wonderful mercies. — Ps. xvi. 7. 

HAVE mercy on me, O God, according to thy 
great mercy, and. according to the multitude 
of thy tender mercies, purify my soul from every stain, 
from the least blemish ; adorn it with every virtue, 
that I may be less unworthy of tlry inconceivable con- 
descension and goodness. "In thee, O Lord, have 
I hoped ; let me never be confounded," (Ps. xxx. 1.) 

YII. 

"With desire I have desired to eat. this pasch with you. — 
St. Lcke xxii. 15. 

OMY Saviour, " what is a man that thou should- 
est . . . set thy heart upon him?" (Job vii. 
17 ;) and what am I, in particular, that thou shouldest 



474 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE COMMUNION- 



assure me, with mercy and love peculiar to thyself, 
that thou desirest to eat this pasch with me ? Dost 
thou not know my heart ? Is there one of its miseries 
hidden from thee ? or, rather, is not the deep abyss 
of its wretchedness known clearly to thee alone? O 
my Saviour, thou art now peculiarly necessary to me ; 
and such is my unbounded confidence in thy infinite 
love, that I am resolved to approach to thee, notwith- 
standing my wretchedness, firmly persuaded that by 
so doing I shall second thy merciful designs. My 
Saviour, I long to be united to thee ; to pour out my 
whole soul with contrition and love, like Magdalen, 
at thy sacred feet. O. teach me how to desire, how 
to love, how to cleave to thee alone. O. grant that 
the study of my lite may be to prepare thee a dwelling 
within my soul ; the summit of my happiness to receive 
thee ; and all my comfort to expect a repetition of thy 
merciful visit. And. O my adorable Saviour, let the 
fruit of my communions be such an increase of divine 
charity as may render every aspiration of my heart, 
and every movement of body and soul, an act of 
ardent love and union with thee in this most amiable 
mystery. 

VIII. 

As the hart panteth after the fountains of waters, so my 
soul panteth after thee, God. — Ps. xli. 1, 

OMY sweet vSaviour. I am aware that I have no 
claims to address thee with the confidence with 
which I feel animated ; yet I am persuaded thou wilt 
pardon my presumption, since thou thyself inspirest 
me to tell thee what my wretchedness would other- 
wise forbid me to utter. Yes. I will call thee my 
dearest love ; for every power of my soul, and every 
feeling of my heart, tells me that thou art essentially 
love, and peculiarly my love. Come, then, adorable 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



475 



love of my soul, come, and let me, far removed from 
all creatures, enjoy thee as my soul desires, and be- 
come totally changed and transformed into thee. O 
my Jesus, eternal Lover of my soul, fill my heart with 
divine charity, and grant that every earthly affection, 
everything even in the least displeasing to thee, may 
be entirely consumed in its holy flames, that, when 
thou enterest therein, I may say with truth that thou 
art all mine, and that I am all thine. 

IX. 

Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? — Acts ix. 6. 

O SOVEREIGN of my heart, "what wilt thou 
have me to do?" tw Speak, Lord, for thy ser- 
vant heareth," (1 Kings hi. 9 ;) command, and let 
thy sweet accents be heard in the inmost recesses of 
my soul, that they may produce therein such fruits 
of virtue as will attract the eyes of thy mercy, and 
gain thy compassionate heart. O my almighty Sa- 
viour, thou canst do all things ; by one glance thou 
canst banish all imperfection from my soul. Grant, 
then, I beseech thee, that, when thou comest in thy 
adorable sacrament to me, who am altogether un- 
worthy of the smallest of thy favors, I may be thine 
unalterably and forever. 

x. 

Come, Lord Jesus. — Apoc. xxii. 20. 

Say to my soul, I am thy salvation. — Ps. xxxiv. 3. 

COME, my adored Lord, come, and take posses- 
sion of my soul and body, of my will, memory, 
and understanding, of all my thoughts, words, and 
actions, of every look, step, breath, and motion — in 
fine, of all that I am and have. Come, and deliver 
me from ail my spiritual enemies. Come, and unite 



476 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



me indissoluhlv to thyself. Come, my God and my 
Saviour : I long to be united to thee ; I desire to 
receive thee, in the best manner I can. into my poor 
heart : come, take possession of it, and make it thy 
dwelling-place forever. Amen. 

XI. 

Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, you shall not 
have life in you. — St. John vi. 54. 

As often as you shall eat this hread, . . . you shall show 
the death of the Lord until he come. — 1 Cor. xi. 26. 

He that eateth my flesh . . . abideth in me, and I in him. — 
St. Johx vi. .">7. 

MY Jesus. I desire to approach thy holy table — 
first, because it is thy will that I should do so, 
to commemorate thy bitter death and passion, to be 
united to thee, and to draw thy blessing upon thy 
Church, and on all religious institutions : upon all 
those l'<>r whom I have ever promised to pray, those 
who pray for me. and upon all those for whom it is 
my duty to pray ; upon ail mankind, and upon my- 
self, thy unworthy servant ; to obtain a full release 
for all the souls in purgatory, especially for any soul 
or souls of whose suiferings I may in any way be the 
cause. 

It would he advisahle to read one or more chapters of the 
fourth hook of the Following of Christ. We would recom- 
mend particularly the second, third, fourth, ninth, thirteenth, 
sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters. 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUXIOX, 



WHICH MAT BE USED INSTEAD OF THE PRECEDIXG 
DEVOTIONS. 



IMAGINE that our Saviour invites you into the same room in 
which he ate his last supper with his apostles, to be a witness 
of the miracle he is there going to perform, and to give you 
communion with his own sacred hands. How fervent soever 
your sentiments might have been on that solemn occasion, they 
ought not to be less so at present; for, as he ordained that this 
divine food should be daily renewed, for the nourishment of 
the faithful, till his second coming to judge mankind at the 
end of the world, so he gives himself no less to us at present 
than he did at that time to his apostles. Take them now for 
your model. The accounts which we have in the gospel of 
this last mysterious supper will furnish you with proper acts 
for communion. Read them attentively ; make them your 
own by reflection; and let them sink deeply into your heart. 

AN ACT OF ADORATION. 

The gospel of St. Luke, chap, xxii., informs us that our 
Saviour sat down, and his twelve apostles with him, to eat the 
paschal lamb, or comply with the supper of the old law, and 
institute that of the new in its stead. Who could be otherwise 
than astonished at seeing a God permit his creatures — nay, 
even his very enemies — to partake of his adorable body ? 
When he loved his own who were in the world, says his 
beloved disciple St. John, he loved them unto the end. But 
this was loving them, not merely to the end of his mortal life, 
but even beyond it, to the very end of ages, with the utmost 
excess, and to the farthest limits of love. Contemplate, 
therefore, with the most attentive recollection, the excellence, 
the depth, and the extent of the boundless love of our divine 
Redeemer, of which this mystery is an epitome. 

477 



478 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



COULD we ever believe, Lord, or even imagine, 
that tlvy love for us was so excessive, had not 
thine own infallible word convinced us of its truth ? 
Hadst thou, when thou wert about to quit this world, 
left us thy adorable heart as a pledge of thy affection, 
or hadst thou, when thy side was pierced, ordered thy 
precious blood to be distributed throughout thy 
Church, such favors would justly claim our most 
grateful acknowledgments. But this would not 
satisfy the extent of thy love. Thou didst choose, 
in a godlike manner, to penetrate into the very centre 
of our hearts, and give thyself to each of us in 
particular, entirely and forever. With what amaze- 
ment, then, must not the angels, and the whole 
hierarchy of celestial intelligences, have beheld such 
a prodigy ! Were they not, in some measure, jealous, 
to see mankind thus uncommonly favored? But 
what didst thou discover in me, () Lord, that could 
thus attract thee? or what couldst thou possibly 
expect from my indigence? Can I become the dwell- 
ing-place of Him who is the delight of the blessed? 
Alas! had I even the innocence of thy beloved 
disciple St. John, or the ardent love of thy zealous 
apostle St. Peter, I should then have some little 
claim to sit down at thy table ; but since I am 
removed at so great a distance from such holy 
dispositions, vouchsafe, Lord, to supply my defi- 
ciency by the effusion of thy grace. Whence is this 
favor to me, O my merciful Redeemer? u What is 
man. that thou art mindful of him ? or the son of man, 
that thou visitest him? " (Ps. viii. 5.) 



AN ACT OF DESIRE. 

Reflect on these tender words, which our Saviour pro- 
nounced immediately before the supper : " With desire I have 
desired to eat this pasch with you." (Luke xxii. 15.) For 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



479 



why should we not feel the most ardent desire to be united to 
our Lord in this sacrament, when we -see him so desirous to 
visit us, and take up his dwelling in our hearts. Endeavor to 
excite this desire, by considering how much you stand in need 
of this bread of life, and by the great esteem this heavenly 
nourishment deserves. 

SIXCE thou, O Lord, art so prodigal of miracles, 
and obligest me to receive thee under such severe 
penalties, nothing can be more certain than that thou 
desirest to make my heart thy dwelling-place. With 
what fervent desire should I not, therefore, endeavor 
to cooperate with intentions so bountiful ! O my all- 
sufficient God, though thou standest in no need of me, 
yet thou hast compassion on my poverty. May, 
then, the efficacy of thy grace supply my indigence ; 
may it awaken every faculty of my soul, and render 
my desires to receive thee worthily still more inflamed ; 
for though they are arrived at a certain anxiety, I 
am nevertheless sensible of their being too tepid. 
Alas ! my Redeemer, why do I not sigh after thee 
with the same holy fervor as did the patriarchs of the 
old law, who expected thy coming? Come, O Lord, 
and do not delay. Remember, O heavenly Physician, 
that thou canst not refuse thy all-healing balsam to 
the wounds of my soul, since thy motive for descend- 
ing on earth was to heal the sins of men. Although 
I am needy and poor, yet thou canst enrich me. 
Although I am enslaved under the tyranny of my 
predominant passions, yet thou canst break my chains 
and set me at liberty ; a single word of thine would 
be altogether sufficient to work these miracles in 
favor of one so unworthy of thy corporeal presence 
as 1 am. Speak it then, O sovereign God, for I can 
no longer live without thee. Let blind and infatuated 
worldlings intoxicate themselves with the false, tran- 
sient, and fading happiness of this life ; for my part, 
nothing besides thyself can content me, either in 



480 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



heaven or on earth : for what have I in heaven, or 
what can I desire on earth, beside thee? Come then, 

thou Lamb of God. who takest awav the sins ol 
the world. Come, thou beloved of my heart, adora- 
ble flesh and precious blood of my Saviour. Come, to 
nourish, comfort, and enliven my sickly soul. O God 
of my heart, let me neither love. seek, nor think on 
any other object but thyself alone : for thou alone 
art my consolation, my treasure, my joy. my life, my 
God. and my all. My heart as eagerly desires to 
receive thee as the wearied stag longs to quench his 
thirst in the fountains of water. (Ps. xli.) 

AN ACT OF FEAR. 

The evangelist mentions, that when our Saviour declared 
to his disciples that one of them would betray him. they were 
all exceedingly afflicted. " Amen, I Bay to you. that one of 
you is about to betray me. And they began every one to say. 
Is it I, Lord? " (Matt, xxvi.) Let your hearts also give way. 
for a moment, to the thoughts of that uncertainty which every 
one is in. of being in the state of grace: examine seriously 
your real dispositions, and have no other confidence than in 
the infinite mercy of God. 

IF the uncertainty of being worthy of thy love or 
hatred. Lord, made even St. Paul, that vessel 
of election, tremble, how much more reason have not 

1 to apprehend lest some concealed sin. lurking in 
my heart, might obstruct the salutary influence of 
those graces which chou hast prepared for them that 
worthily receive thee in this divine sacrament. May 
not I. perhaps, like another Judas, give thee the kiss 
of peace to-day. and basely betray thee to-morrow? 
or. instead of coming to visit me. as a faithful dis- 
ciple, dost thou not rather come, with horror and 
indignation, as to a concealed enemy? How can I 
answer for the integrity of my confession, the fervor 
of my contrition, or the sincerity of my resolutions? 



ACTS BEFOFcE COMMUNION. 



481 



Is it not custom, or human respect, that brings me to 
the foot of thy altar? Have I not still some favorite 
attachment ? and in the resolution 1 have made of 
relinquishing my evil habits, have I not spared some 
favorite, though dangerous passion? With the same 
heartfelt anguish as thy disciples experienced on the 
like occasion. I ask thee. O Lord. "Is it I?" But 
the most abominable traitor. Judas, asked thee the 
same question. Is not my anxiety, as his was. only 
false and apparent? 'Tis this thought, O my God, 
that terrifies me ; and it is to thyself alone I have 
recourse to preserve me from so horrible a sacrilege. 

; thou wilt never permit me to be guilty of so 
horrid a profanation, since thou seest there is no evil 
I dread so much. ^Therefore, my dear Saviour, after 
being as diligent as I could in my preparation to re- 
ceive thee, I now rest entirely on thy infinite mercy. 
" Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. O Lord," 
(Luke v. 8.) " Ron, be of good heart ; thy sins are 
forgiven thee," (Matt. ix. 2.) 



By our Saviour's washing the feet of his disciples, to pre- 
pare them for this new supper, (" And he began to wash the feet 
of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he 
was girded," Johnxiii..) we are taught not to confine ourselves 
merely to detesting those grievous sins which give death to the 
soul, because we see that the disciples were obliged to undergo 
this ceremony, though Christ already had declared them pure, 
and in the state of grace ; ( ;> You," said he, "are already 
clean: ") but we should also endeavor to purify our souls as 
much as possible from even the slightest stains of venial sins, 
which is signified by the washing of the feet of the disciples. 



O transform a soul so defiled as mine into a state 



A of innocence and purity must be the work of 
the right hand of the Most High. Ah. my God. I 
shall never be able to discover any vestige of that 



AX ACT OF CONTRITION. 




81 



482 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



precious innocence which makes a soul so lovely and 
acceptable in thy sight, unless I trace back my whole 
life to the days of my childhood. But although I 
have had the misfortune to forfeit my baptismal in- 
nocence by sin, yet there remains for my consolation 
this sure anchor, whereby I may hope to regain thy 
favor, grounded on thy infallible promise, viz.. that 
thou wilt never despise a contrite and humble heart. 

But if even the enormity of my sins had not ex- 
posed me to thy wrath, and consequently to the 
eternal pains of hell, yet would I nevertheless sin- 
cerely detest them. O my God. do not upbraid me 
with mine iniquities ; they are always in my sight ; 
and the bitterness of my regret for having committed 
them shall serve as a continual punishment of my 
baseness. Ah, my Redeemer, though I cannot sutler 
such an excessive degree of anguish as thou didst 
during thy agony in the garden of Gethsemani, when, 
in a bloody sweat, thou didst offer thyself as a victim 
to the eternal Father, yet I am fully determined to 
suffer with patience every cross or affliction which 
may fall in my way. as well in atonement for the sins 
I have hitherto committed as to prevent me from 
future relapses. Assist me with thy grace. O Lord, 
and remove every occasion of sin at a distance from 
me ; and as I dread no evil so much as that of offend- 
ing thee, rather cut the thread of my life than suffer 
me again to commit a deliberate sin. O my amiable 
!SaA T iour, inflamed with thy love I am fully resolved to 
avoid every fault that may in the least displease thee, 
or diminish the influence of thy graces. Although I 
have a well-grounded confidence that my soul has 
been cleansed in the sacrament of penance, still I 
desire to be washed more and more from my iniquities. 
u Create a clean heart in me. God. and renew a 
right spirit within my bowels," (Ps. 1. 12.) 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



483 



AX ACT OF HUMILITY. 

Reflect on these words : " And he gave it to his disciples, 
and said, Take ye, and eat," &c. It must have been a great 
cause of confusion to the apostles, when they beheld their Sa- 
viour distribute to them his sacred body, not merely that they 
might honor and adore it, or that they might preserve it as an 
inestimable relic, but that they might make it their food. Be 
thou also penetrated with the most profound humility. 

WHAT am I, O God of majesty and glory ; or 
who am I, that thou shouldest deign even to 
look on me? Whence am I honored with so un- 
speakable a favor as that my Lord and my God should 
come and visit in person so miserable a sinner and 
vile a worm of the earth ? How dares a being more 
contemptible than nothing approach so holy a God, 
eat the bread of angels, and feed on thy divine flesh? 
Ah, Lord, it is too much ; I am not worth}' of so 
great a favor ; I shall never, no, never deserve it. 

O King of heaven and earth, adorable Sovereign, 
the Author and Preserver of the universe, behold, I 
annihilate myself before thee, protesting that I would 
humble myself as much for thy glory as thou dost 
here for my salvation. I acknowledge, with the most 
profound respect, the infinite grandeur of thy divine 
majesty, and my own miserable baseness. The con- 
templation of the one and the other fills me with in- 
expressible confusion. Can I possibly sa}^ more, my 
dear Saviour, than to confess, with the utmost hu- 
mility, in the words of the centurion, 4i Lord, I am 
not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof : 
but only say the word, and my" soul u shall be 
healed " ? 

AN ACT OF FAITH. 

In consequence of the words pronounced by our Saviour, 
when he consecrated the bread and wine, — ''This is my 
body," &c, '-This is my blood," &c, — the apostles received 
what Christ then gave them as his real body and blood. Do 



484 



ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



thou now, in like manner, make a most lively act of faith in 
the real presence of Jesus Christ in the blessed eucharist. 



SINCE thou, omnipotent God, whose almighty 
words are creative, productive, and effective ; 
since thou, O eternal Truth, who canst neither de- 
ceive nor be deceived ; since thou, I say, hast declared 
that thou art really and actually present, under the 
appearance of material bread, I therefore implicitly 
believe it ; for what greater proof can I require of the 
truth of this mystery than thine own infallible word? 
Yes. my dear Saviour. I openly confess, and am in- 
wardly convinced, that it is thou thyself I am going 
to receive ; thou, who, for my sake, wast born in a 
manger; thou. who. for my redemption, didst die on 
the cross, and who. though now gloriously seated On 
thy heavenly throne, still continuest on earth, under 
the sacramental veils, to feed and nourish the souls 
of men. Were I to behold thee with my corporeal 
eyes, and examine the impressions of the wounds thou 
didst receive in thy sacred hands and side, as St. 
Thomas did, still I could not say with more confidence 
than I now do. that thou art "my Lord and my 
God." I do not demand a miracle, as a proof of thy 
real presence ; no, Lord, let me rather have the whole 
merit of faith, for thou hast said, "Blessed are they 
that have not seen, and have believed." Wert thou, 
therefore, to speak to me from this very tabernacle, 
the voice would affect me less than that which re- 
sounds in thy gospel and thy Church, founded by 
thyself, and propagated in a miraculous manner. 
Though to my senses it appears to be bread, yet, 
submitting them entirely in obedience to divine faith, 
I answer, it is thy real body and blood, accompanied 
by thy soul and divinity. In this faith I am de- 
termined to live and die ; and were I to suffer a thou- 
sand martyrdoms in testimony thereof. I am persuaded 
that, with the help of thy grace, I would remain im- 




ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION. 



485 



movable. " Verily thou art a bidden God. the God 
of Israel, the Saviour." (Is. xlv.) "I do believe, 
O Lord ; help thou my unbelief." (Mark ix.) 

When about to communicate, let your heart be penetrated 
with a lively sense of the actual presence of your divine Sa- 
viour, and at the same time endeavor to recollect the different 
passages of Scripture above quoted, they being, as it were, an 
abridgment of the foregoing acts. You may also reflect on the 
words. May the body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy 
eoul unto life everlasting," which the priest pronounces at the 
moment he gives you the blessed sacrament; because they 
imply that the end purposed in communicating is not simply 
to abide in a certain regularity of conduct for a few months, 
weeks, or days, but to persevere faithfully, to the very hour 
of death, in that state of grace to which a worthy participation 
of this divmc sacrament shall now raise you. 

AX ACT OF HOPE. 

SIXCE thou vouchsafest to come and dwell within 
me, O my Redeemer, what may I not expect from 
thy bounty ! I therefore present myself before thee 
with that lively confidence which thy infinite goodness 
inspires. Thou not only knowest ali my wants, but 
thou art also willing and aide to relieve them. Thou 
hast not only invited me. but also promised ine thy 
gracious assistance : b - Come to me all you that 
labor and are heavy-laden, and I will refresh you." 
Behold, then, O Lord. I accept thy gracious invita- 
tion : I lay before thee all my wants, my misery, and 
my blindness, and confidently hope, without the fear 
of being disappointed, that thou wilt enlighten my 
understanding, inflame my will, comfort me in the 
midst of such crosses or afflictions as thou hast ap- 
pointed I should surfer ; strengthen me in all tempta- 
tions and trials, and with the powerful assistance of 
thy grace, change me into a new creature : for art 
not thou, O God. the Master of my heart? and when 
shall my heart be more absolutely disposed of b}' thee 
than when thou shalt have once entered into it ? 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



Having received your divine Saviour, cast yourself, in spirit, 
at his sacred feet: speak to him with your heart ; acknowledge 
your unworthiness, your incapability to adore, love, or thank 
him as he deserves ; and remain, at least for some moments, in 
humble, grateful, and loving silence. 

SOUL of Jesus, sanctify me ; body of Jesus, save 
me ; blood of Jesus, purify me : passion of Jesus, 
strengthen me; spirit of Jesus, enliven me; love of 
Jesus, inflame me ; kingdom of Jesus, come to me ; 
grace of Jesus, replenish me ; mercy of Jesus, take 
pity on me ; cross of Jesus, support me ; nails of 
Jesus, hold me : lips of Jesus, bless me — in life, in 
death, in time, and eternity : and at the hour of death 
command me to come to thee. that, with thy saints, I 
may praise thee in glory everlastingly. 

i. 

"Whence is this to me? — St. Luke i. 43. 

GOODNESS inconceivable, I cast nryself at thy 
sacred feet : my soul ardently desires to adore, 
love, and thank thee, not as much as thou deservest, 
for this is impossible, but as much as I am capable. 
My Jesus, my divine Saviour within me, God of infi- 
nite goodness, thou seest how incapable I am of 
acknowledging or even feeling the extent of thy con- 
descension, or of my happiness. Accept then, nry 
adored Lord, accept thy own merits, thy own divine 
person, in thanksgiving for all thy mercies ; and. in 
union with thy own merits and thy own divine person, 

486 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



487 



permit me to offer thee my heart, which ardently de- 
sires to honor thee in this abode, so unworthy of 
thee. 



God himself will come, and will save you. Then shall the 
eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall 
be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and 
the tongue of the dumb shall be free : for waters are broken out 
in the desert, and streams in the wilderness. — Is. xxxv. 4-6. 

The land that was desolate . . . shall be glad; and the wil- 
derness . . . shall bud forth and blossom : . . . the glory of 
Lihanus is given to it. and the beauty of Carmel and Sa- 
ron. — Is. xxxv. 1, 2. 



X (Cant. iii. 4.) My heart hath received its 
treasure, the dearest object of its affections: Yes, 
my Jesus is mine, entirely mine. What more could 
I ask? What more could I ambition? For what 
have I in heaven? and besides thee, what do I desire 
upon earth?" (Ps. lxxii. 25.) O love, consuming 
love, stronger than death. (Cant. viii. 6 ;) my heart- 
is now the altar on which thou Imrnest. Let me feel, 
in the inmost recesses of my soul, thy all-reviving 
fire ; inflame, transform, and absolutely destroy with- 
in me every atom of sin or imperfection. Eternal 
Wisdom, thou alone knowest the value of these pre- 
cious moments of thy actual presence in my heart. 
0. assist me thyself to profit by thy stay ; teach me, 
by unbounded confidence and ardent lc>A~e. to obtain 
from thy merciful heart the blessings thou art come 
on purpose to bestow. O my God. my Saviour, and 
only love, thou hast not entered the wretched dwell- 
ing of my heart to be a spectator only of all its mis- 
eries. Xo, I feel that thou art come to deliver, 
enrich, and sanctify me. O. inspire me thyself with 
pie dispositions thou require st for executing in my 
soul thy merciful designs. Stay with me, O beloved 



The Holy One of Israel. — Is. xii. 6. 




found Plim whom she loves. 



488 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



Lord, stay with me ; for " the clay is now far spent." 
and the evening of life approaches, (St. Lukexxiv. 29 ;) 
stay with me, I conjure thee, for I have yet a thou- 
sand woes to expose to thee, the God and Saviour of 
my soul. Thou well knowest that I do not seek to 
hide from thee the deep wounds of my heart. Xo, 
my sweetest consolation is to expose them to tin- 
view, to lay open to thee my whole soul, and pour all 
my sorrows into the sacred heart of a God who never 
yet beheld misery without pity and compassion. O 
Saviour of my soul, have mercy on me. as I have 
hoped in thee. Yes, I do hope in thee, my sovereign 
Life ! In those adorable arms, open to receive sin- 
ners. I confidently expect a refuge : at those sacred 
feet, where so many have found mercy and pardon. I 
now throw myself. (). listen to my supplications, or 
rather to the voice of thy infinite mercy, for that alone 
is greater than my malice. Remember, O beloved of 
my soul, that one visit from thee would suffice to sanc- 
tify the greatest sinner. Ah, permit not that I should 
receive thee in vain ; let not thy precious blood fall on 
the barren soil of my heart without softening it. and 
producing the fruits of virtue, which thou hast so long 
expected, and I have so ungratefully refused thee. 
Too late have I known thee, O eternal Truth, too late 
have I loved thee. O Beauty, ever ancient and ever 
new. O, take me out of life this moment, rather than 
suffer me to wound thy adorable heart by a relapse 
into sin, or a deliberate infidelity. 

in. 

He . . . spared not even his own Son, but delivered him 
tip for us all; . . . hath he not also, with him, given us all 
things'? — Rom. viii. 32. 

FATHER of mercies, and God of goodness, how 
hast thou loved us ! What return can thy poor 
creature make thee ? Thanks to thy own infinite love, 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



489 



I can offer thee Him whom thou hast given me : him 
in whom thou art well pleased, thy only-begotten Son 
and our Redeemer. Behold then, eternal Father, our 
holy Jesus ; I offer thee his infinite merits in thanks- 
giving for thy mercies to me and all mankind, in be- 
half of thy holy Church : open wide her portals, and 
send forth streams of strength and sweetness which 
shall attract all nations to her bosom. Q, do not 
suffer any one to be unfaithful to thy grace ; but. in 
thy tender mercy, cause all, each, and every one to 
take shelter in this secure ark. Look with a favor- 
able eye on thy representative on earth, on the bish- 
ops, priests, and all who labor in thy vineyard ; make 
their lives immaculate as the law which it is their duty 
to inculcate ; and, O my good God. among the min- 
isters of th}~ sanctuary. I pray especially for him whom 
thou hast chosen to lead my soul to thee. O. grant 
that he, who is affording to others % - a lamp to their 
feet, and a light to their paths," may himself go gen- 
erously on, from virtue to virtue, until called by thee 
to shine among the brightest stars in thy empyreal 
heaven. And, my infinitely good and almighty Fa- 
ther, I ardently supplicate thee, for the sake of Him 
who is now all mine, and whose superabundant merits 
I can now, in a special manner, offer thee, to look 
with a Father's loving e}'e on my dear parents : grant 
them thy peace on earth, a happy death, and the pos- 
session of thyself in heaven. 

IV. 

Behold thy Mother. — St. Johx xix. 27. 

MY blessed Mother, Mother of my Jesus, be a 
Mother to me during these invaluable moments 
which are as awful as they are delightful and propi- 
tious. My heavenly guardian, and all ye bright 
angels that surround his holy altars ; ye angelic 



490 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNKHf. 



spirit? who. prostrate before him. cast yonr crowns 
at his feet : blessed St. John, who had the happi- 
ness to lean on the bosom of Jesus : all ye, my 
lioly patrons, and all ye Messed inhabitants' of the 
heavenly Jerusalem: ye. who know so much better 
than I do the depths of his mercies, of his infinite 
perfections, and how worthy he is of the undivided 
and devoted affections of my heart, help me to adore, 
love, and thank him : and obtain for me that the foun- 
tain •• of li vinir waters, which run with a strong stream 
from" this life-giving sacrament (Cant. iv. 15), may 
replenish my soul, wash it. and free it from every 
obstacle that may prevent the perfect reign of his 
love in my heart. 

v. 

Fear not, for I have redeemc-il thee, and calkd thee by thy 
name : thou art mine. — I>. xliii. 1. 

XO. my Redeemer, sweetest and most tender 
friend of my soul. no. I will not fear: thy 
merciful condescension encourages thy guilty, hut. I 
hope, penitent creature : though viler than dust and 
ashes, yet will I. with confidence, speak to thee. who. 
not content with having been " wounded for our iniqui- 
ties, " and *• bruised for our sins" ( Is. liii. 5), dost, with 
unspeakable love and mercy, remain amongst us. and 
visit even our unworthy souls, to " bind up that which 
was broken/' to " strengthen that which was weak."' 
to preserve that which was strong, to feed thy re- 
deemed souls with the manna of heaven (Ezech. 
xxxiv. U'.). and to reward their exertions in thy ser- 
vice with joys inerfahle. " Such is my Beloved, and 
he is my Friend." (Cant. v. 16.) O my Saviour, art 
thou in truth my Friend ? Yes. if I love thee truly, 
this happiness is mine. But how. my Saviour, can I 
know if I love thee ? With loving condescension thou 
deignest to relieve my anxious heart : "If you love 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



491 



me. keep my commandments . " Do. then, my God 
and my all. dilate this heart, and fill it with thy love, 
that may run in the way of thy commandments." 
(Ps. exviii. 32.) Do not suffer me ever again to 
offend thee : do not permit this heart, which thou hast 
thus honored, to be ever indifferent to thee, or to 
cherish any thought, feeling, or affection contrary, in 
the least, to thy infinite perfections ; do not permit 
this tongue, upon which thy sacred body has rested, 
ever to utter the least impatient or unkind, much less 
proud, angry, or uncharitable word. Grant that I 
may courageously resist everything that might be, 
even in the least degree, displeasing to thee, or pre- 
judicial to a closer union of my soul with thee, and 
that each successive day may witness some new ex- 
ertion to evidence my love for thee, who hast loved 
me so much. 

TI. 

Thou hast multiplied thy magnificence, and, turning to me, 
thou hast comforted me. — Ps. lxx. 21. 

YES. my adorable Lord, thou hast been inex- 
pressibly bountiful to me. Teach me. then, to 
reserve nothing in thy service, to despise and re- 
nounce forever every gratification which has not 
thee, my heavenly Spouse, for its object, that I may 
be less unworthy to •• taste and see that the Lord is 
sweet." (Ps. xxxiii. 9.) O that I could now be 
united to thee, with the certainty that I should never 
be separated from thee : but, alas ! surrounded as we 
are by an atmosphere of sin. the most intimate union 
with thee is exposed to the dreadful danger of being 
dissolved. What. then, have I not to fear from my 
natural inconstancy, innate malice, and wretched 
misery? Do. then, my Saviour, thou who hast re- 
deemed my soul at such a price, do. I conjure thee, 



492 DEVOTION? AFTER COMMUNION. 

take me out of this life, and condemn me to all that 
most painful in the flames which purify thy elect, 
if thou foresees! that I shall ever again be so ungrate- 
ful as to offend thee. O my sweet Saviour, as the 
acoompfisnment of thy will is the perfection of thy 
love, grant me to do thy will in all things and that 
this adorable will may be my delight, my only desire. 
1 cad myself with peaceful confidence into those 
arms which were for me extended on the cross. To 
thee will I have recourse- in all my necessities, pains 
of body or of soul. Be thou my only joy : let noth- 
ing irrelative to thee have power to charm, delight, 
rarplease me. My Jesus, best of friends, grant that 
thy adorable heart, that loving heart into which an 
entrance was. upon the cross, opened for me by the 
spear which pierc ed thy sacred side, may be my abid- 
ing-place until called to thy Fathers house, in which 
I shall behold thee in thy glory, and without the tear 
of being separated from thee. 

VII. 

What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard than 

I have not done to it? — is. v. 4. 

TV TY Jesus, most generous of friends, - it is oon- 
1\1 summated," (St. John xix. 80;) thou hast 
given us thyself, (St. John vi.) 

•• Praise the Lord, all ye nations. ft*, [rs. cx\i. ) 

Glorv be to the Father, &c. 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



493 



A PRAYER 

EXPRESSIVE OF THE DISPOSITION FOR GAINING 
A PLENARY INDULGENCE, 



OMY heavenly Father, and most merciful God, 
although I confidently hope that I have obtained 
from thy mercy the remission of the eternal punish- 
ment which my sins have deserved, yet I have reason 
to fear that, from want of sufficient contrition and 
from other defects, there still remains much temporal 
punishment due to thy justice. Therefore, in order 
to make satisfaction to thy offended majesty. I am 
resolved to lead the life of a true penitent, to bear in 
a spirit of penance all the trials and afflictions with 
which thy merciful providence may be pleased to 
visit me. and to be faithful in the discharge of all my 
duties, however painful and wearisome they may be. 
But. my God. since all that I can do would not be an 
adequate satisfaction, I have recourse to the inex- 
haustible merits of my Eedeemer. which thy Church 
(in virtue of the keys of the kingdom of heaven 
committed to its supreme pastors in the person of 
St. Peter. St. Matt. xvi. 19) now holds forth to me. 
Grant me. Lord, the dispositions to obtain such a 
portion of these infinite merits as may be necessary 
to discharge the debt of temporal punishment due to 
my sins, and let the immense ransom which Jesus has 
paid for my salvation be applied to my poor sinful 
soul, that it may be released from the punishment 
which it so justly deserves. 



494 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



Or. Tvhen you desire to apply the indulgence to a soul in 
purgatory, say : 

TT is mv ardent desire. O my God. to apply to the 
1 soul of N. the indulgence which I hope to gam. 
O. do not. I entreat thee, let my unworthiness be an 
obstacle to this application of the merits of my 
Saviour. But if the soul of N. does not need the 
application of this indulgence, apply it. I beseech 
thee, to the soul of whose sufferings I may have been 
the cause; to the soul whose debt of temporal pun- 
ishment is greatest ; to the soul that has no one to 
pray lor it ; to the soul that has been most devout 
to the passion of Christ, to the holy sacrament of the 
altar, and to the blessed Virgin Mary. 

We should frequentlv endeavor to obtain indulgences for 
our parents, relations, and for those to whom we are under 
any obligation- '• _ 

Those who. to comply with the conditions, say five Paters 
and five ives, are advised to say them in honor of the sacred 
wounds of Jesus, that thereby the eternal Father may be glo- 
rified, and that the superabundant merits ot those adorable 
wounds may be applied as a healing balsam to the wound* of 
each and everv soul, and that they may be impetratory tor 
the ne cessities' of the Church, and for all the intentions ex- 
pressed in the following prayer: 

T OFFER thee. mv God. these five Paters and 

J five Ave*, (or this litany, or .) for the glory 

of thy holy name, for the exaltation of thy holy 
Church, the extirpation of schisms and heresies, for 
peace among Christian rulers, for all the intentions 
of the same" holy Church. 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION, 



495 



DEVOUT PRAYERS, 
OR FERVENT ASPIRATIONS AETER COMMUNION. 



These may be used instead of the foregoing. 

T RETURN thee most hearty thanks. O amiable 
Jesus, for the inestimable blessing I now enjoy. 
I praise and glorify thee with my whole soul for the 
numberless favors I have received from thy bounty. 
I adore thee now reposing within my breast. O my 
God and my all. a thousand times welcome ! May 
thy holy name be forever blessed ! O sovereign Lord 
of heaven, how amazing; is the excess of thv «ood- 
ness. in condescending to visit so poor, so vile, so 
abject a creature as I am. Thou hast vouchsafed to 
heap thy favors on dust and ashes, to come into this 
poor cottage, this house of clay, my earthly habita- 
tion, and to feed my soul with the heavenly banquet 
of thy most precious body and blood. O teach me 
to entertain thee as I ought, and to make thee some 
suitable return for this thy infinite love. I would 
gladly make thee some offering in acknowledgment 
of the rich present thou hast made me. in giving thy- 
self to me ; but alas ! dear Lord, thou knowcst my 
poverty, and that I have nothing worthy of thy ac- 
ceptance — nothing but what, on a thousand titles, 
is already thine. But. O my bountiful Saviour, such 
is thy goodness that thou wilt be contented with the 
little I can give thee, although it be thine already. 
Thou askest nothing but my heart ; and this I most 



496 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



willingly offer thee. O. he pleased to accept it, and 
make it wholly thine forever. Take full possession 
of it ; I oiler it to thee without reserve : I desire to 
consecrate it. eternally to thy service. Disengage it, 
therefore, from this moment, from the slavery of its 
passions and vices ; stifle in it every desire but that 
of loving and pleasing thee : inflame it with the lire 
of divine charity, that it may ever burn with thy love. 
O may the sweet flames thereof consume my soul, 
that so I may die to the world for the love of thee, 
who hast vouchsafed to expire on the cross for the 
love of me. I cast myself entirely into the arms of 
thy mercy, and oiler thee my whole being, — my 
body with all its senses, and my soul with all its 
powers. — that, as thou hast honored them both by 
thy real presence, so they may both be thy temple 
forever. O. sanctity and consecrate eternally to thy- 
self this mansion, which thou hast, by a wonderful 
condescension, chosen this day for thy abode, and 
grant that, like Zaccheus. I may obtain thy benedic- 
tion. I orr'er thee my memory, that it may be ever 
recollected in thee : my understanding, that it may 
be always directed and enlightened by thy truth : and 
my will, that it. may be ever conformable to thine. 

take me entirely into thy hands, with all that I 
have and all that I am, and let nothing henceforward, 
either in life or death, ever separate me from thee 
any more. Make me according to thine own heart, 
and let my soul be thy habitation forever. Draw me 
most powerfully after thee, and guide my steps, that 

1 may 'cheerfully run in the paths of perfection. 
Teach me to do thy will in all things. Let thy bless- 
ing be upon all my actions, and thy grace direct my 
intentions, that the whole course of my life, and the 
principal design of my heart, may ever tend to the 
advancement of thy glory, the good of my neighbor, 
and the eternal salvation of my own soul. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



497 



OMY soul, bless the Lord, and let all that is 
within thee praise and magnify his holy name. 
Pay him the best homage thou art able, and invite 
heaven and earth to join with thee in glorifying him 
forever. O my God, that I could now give thee as 
much praise, honor, and glory as the blessed spirits 
incessantly give thee in heaven ! O that I could 
adore thee with the spirit and affection of thy elect ! 
But as I am unable to do this, accept, at least, this 
my desire and good will. O all ye angels of the 
Lord, bless the Lord ; praise and glorif} r his holy 
name. Bless the Lord, all ye saints, and let the 
whole Church of heaven and earth join in praising 
and giving him thanks for all his mercies and graces 
to me, and thus, in some measure, supply what is due 
from me. But, as all this still falls short of what I 
owe thee for thy infinite love, I offer to thee, eternal 
Father, this same Son of thine whom thou hast given 
me. and his thanksgiving, which is of infinite value : 
this, I am sure, thou wilt accept. Look not, then, 
on my insensibility and ingratitude, but upon the face 
of thy Christ, and with him, and through him, receive 
this offering of my own poor self, which I desire to 
make thee. O beauty ever ancient and always new, 
too late have I known thee ; too late have I loved 
thee. When shall I live only in thee, by thee, and 
for thee alone ? O my God and my all, when shall I 
see the day, when shall the happy time arrive, when, 
disgusted with the false happiness of this deceitful 
world, I shall seek comfort from thee alone, and find 
rest to my soul ? O heavenly manna ! O adorable 
sacrament ! O inestimable pledge of God's love to 
mankind ! O standing memorial of Christ's passion 
and death ! O inexhaustible fountain of divine grace ! 
O boundless mercy ! O divine charity ! O sacred 
fire, ever burning, and never decaying ! Hail. O lov- 
ing Jesus, mv onlv pleasure and delight, the joy of 
'o2 



498 



DEV0TI0XS AFTER COMMUNION. 



my soul, and my portion forever. Let my soul be 
sensible of the sweetness of thy presence ; let me 
taste how sweet thou art. Lord. Purity my heart 
from the dross of all earthly affections : deliver me 
from my vicious customs ; remove from me all the 
baneful effects of concupiscence. Perfect me in 
charity, patience, humility, obedience, and all other 
virtues. O. may I rather die than ever wilfully offend 
thee. O, may I prove my gratitude by my fidelity to 
so good a God. Abolish the Feign of sin. and estab- 
lish the kingdom of grace in all hearts. Let the 
light of thy countenance so shine upon all those who 
are in the darkness of infide lity as to dispel their 
errors. Grant peace and union to all Christian 
nations, and preserve us from the dreadful scourges 
of war, famine, and pestilence. Convert all sinners; 
reconcile those who are at variance. Have mercy 
also on my parents, friends, and benefactors, and on 
all those for whom 1 am in any wise hound to pray, 
that we may all love thee, and faithfully serve thee. 
Have mercy on all my enemies ; forgive them their 
sins, and fill both their hearts and mind with thy 
charity. Comfort all that are under any affliction, 
sickness, or violence of pain. Support those who 
are under temptation ; protect those that are in 
danger : and grant a happy passage to all that are in 
their last agony. Have mercy on thy whole Church, 
on all the clergy, and on all religious, that all may 
lead holy lives, and sanctity thy name. Extend thy 
mercy likewise to the souls of all the faithful departed, 
and admit them to the possession of thy eternal glory. 
Grant relief to us in all our respective necessities, 
remission of our sins, the grace of final perseverance, 
and life everlasting. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 



499 



A PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS OF AQUIX. 

I GIVE thee thanks, eternal Father, for having, 
out of thy pure mercy, without any deserts of 
mine, been pleased to feed my soul with the body 
and blood of thy only Son. our Lord Jesus Christ. 
I beseech thee that this holy communion may not be 
to my condemnation, but prove an effectual remission 
of all my sins. May it strengthen my faith ; encour- 
age me in all that is good ; deliver me from my 
vicious customs ; remove all concupiscence ; perfect 
me in charity, patience, humility, and obedience, and 
in all other virtues. May it secure me against all the 
snares of my enemies, both visible and invisible ; 
perfectly moderate all my inclinations ; closely unite 
me to thee, the true and only good, and happily settle 
me in unchangeable bliss. I now make it my hearty 
request that thou wilt one da}^ admit me, though an 
unworthy sinner, to be a guest at that divine banquet, 
where thou, with thy Son, and the Holy Ghost, art 
the true light, eternal fulness, everlasting joy, and 
perfect happiness of all the saints, through the same 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen, 



PRATERS 



"WHICH MAY BE SAID DURING VISITS TO TOE BLESSED 
SACRAMENT, Oil AFTER HOLY COMMUNION. 



I. 

I am come to send fire on the enrth, and what will I but 
that it be kindled? — St. Luke xii. 49. 

OMY JESUS, since it is thy will that the fire of 
thy divine love should be kindled in all hearts, 
fill mine with this divine fire, with those holy names 
which burn in thy own most amiable heart. O. by 
what prodigy am I insensible to thy -sacred presence ! 

But, my Jesus, thou canst do all things : change 
them, or rather absolutely destroy, in my heart, 
everything that displeases thee therein. Remain 
with me, for without thee I cannot live, and grant 
that I may never be satisfied with anything less than 
thee. O, let me love thee from this moment without 
mixture or imperfection. Retrench, destroy, abso- 
lutely and forever, every thing that is contrary in my 
soul to the purity of thy love. 

II. 

AH- my dearest Lord, penetrate my heart with 
those inliamed darts which pierce and transfix 
those happy souls that are invariably submissive to 
the laws of pure love. O, let me be thus sweetly 
wounded ; let so delicious a martvrdom be con- 

* 500 



PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNION. 



501 



tinned, ever increased, and at last consummated in 
the divine ardors of thy all-consuming love. O my 
adorable Saviour, grant that every respiration of my 
heart may tell thee, and tell thee with truth, that 
thou art my onhy treasure, my God, and my all. 

in. 

MY JESUS, what may I not hope for from thee, 
since thou hast given me thyself! Give me 
then, I humbly beseech thee, that perfect love which 
will preserve me from sin in this region of death, or 
take away a< life which is desirable only inasmuch as 
it affords opportunities of increasing thy greater 
glory, and securing a closer union with thee in eternity. 
But if it be thy will to prolong my banishment, and 
delay the enjoyment of thyself, that adorable will is 
consequently mine. I do not desire that nry fate 
should be otherwise. O my divine Redeemer, thou 
justly meritest that every wish of my heart and 
every movement of my will should be absorbed and 
totally lost in thine. Yes, it is but just that I should 
resign all to thee ; and. had I as much power as I have 
will to attain the immense good I implore, still would 
I lay them both at thy sacred feet, that thou mightest 
both will and act towards me according to th} T own 
adorable will and eternal wisdom. 

IV. 

O JESUS, my sweet Saviour, thou art a God in- 
comprehensible, self-existing, eternal, infinite in 
every perfection ; but thou art no less good than 
great, no less merciful than just, no less amiable 
than omnipotent. Adorable Author of my being, 
thy power has drawn me from nothing ; thy provi- 
dence . has preserved my existence ; thy mercy has 



502 



PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNION". 



redeemed and loaded me with ten thousand "benefits ; 
but O, who can number the blessings I have received 
from thy love? who. but thyself, divine Source of 
them all, can justly estimate the value of thy own 
precious gifts, or comprehend the deep, the sublime, 
the amiable inventions of thy boundless love ? Alas ! 
my Jesus, though purchased by thy blood, the object 
of thy predilection, and so often the temple of thy 
divinity itself, still I am ignorant of half the love 
with which I am and ever have been loved. O my 
God, let me now. at least, begin to correspond, as far 
as I am able, with the countless multitude of thy 
graces and mercies. (). let me love thee let me now 
commence that sweet occupation for which eternity 
itself will hereafter appear too short. Let me live 
for thee, and for thee only. 

v. 

OMY GOD, how blessed should I be, could I 
this instant shake off every obstacle to the ami- 
able and desirable union of perfect love ! Here below 
we enjoy thee ; thou art our treasure, our life, our 
all; yes. thou art ten thousand times more than hu- 
man eloquence can express, even though, forgetful of 
ourselves and all created objects, we remain lovingly 
absorbed in thee, and solely intent on pleasing thee 
alone. But, alas ! what are we when abandoned by 
thee? O. what sad, what fatal experience have we 
not of our own misery, weakness, and wretchedness ! 
4 'Unhappy . . . that I am; who shall deliver me 
from the body of this death?" (Rom. vii. 24.) Who 
will grant me to break my chains, and escape " as a 
sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers " ? (Ps. exxiii. 
7.) O m}' God. wound thou my heart so deeply with 
thy love that, through the opening, my soul may 
bound forward, and be absorbed in thee, her centre 



PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNIONS 



503 



and repose. desired of my soul, receive thy willing 
captive : bind me eternally in the sweet bonds of thy 
love, far dearer to my heart than all the boasted 
liberty of this wretched world. 

VT. 

O PURITY. spotless Sanctity. God of my 
heart, how seriously important is the slightest 
fault, the least wilful infidelity ! for in the soul which 
thou hast chosen out of thousands, which thou hast 
selected even from among the elect, to be thy Spouse, 
thou canst not suffer the smallest stain or imperfec- 
tion. 0. retrench then. I conjure thee, everything 
displeasing to thee : for I cannot support the idea 
that my heart, wherein thou residest. should hence- 
forward be unfaithful, should cherish even a momen- 
tary feeling contrary to the utmost purity of thy love. I 
know, my divine Lord, that I am weakness and misery 
itself; I know that, if abandoned by thy all-powerful 
grace. I shall again fall headlong into sin. and griev- 
ously offend thee. who. in the excess of thy charity, 
hast not only laid down thy life for my redemption, 
but hast also given me thyself in thy adorable sac- 
rament. 0. perfect the work thou hast mercifully 
commenced : satisfy the longing desires which thou 
thyself hast excited : remain with me. and grant that 
I may be occupied either with thee or for thee. 

vii. 

"What we can. know is but as ° spark. . . . We shall say 
much, and vet shall want words; but the sum of our words is, 
He is all. — Ecclus. xlii. 23; xliii. 29. 

MY GOD. I rejoice that thou art all. and that 
nothing can add to or take from thy essential 
grandeur. I rejoice that thou wilt be always mercy, 



504 



PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNION. 



greatness, justice, goodness, and love itself, though 
these adorable attributes may be abused, forgotten, 
or even denied. Yes. my Jesus, my Lord and my 
God. Yes, independently of the praise or forgetful* 
ness of thy creature, thou art. and ever shalt be. the 
same great, adorable, self-existing Being ; thou art 
u the Word" that k * was in the beginning with God." 
(St. John i. 12.) Thou " and the Father are one." 
(St. John x. 30.) But. my God. since thou vouch- 
safest to be pleased with the praise and love of thy 
unworthy creatures, accept my earnest desire that 
thou mayest be praised, and ardently, sovereignly 
loved by all, for time and eternity. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS 

BEFORE 

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



I. 

OMOST adorable Jesus, whom thy own infinite 
love induces to dwell among us. thy unworthy 
servants, in the adorable sacrament of the altar, re- 
ceive, . I beseech thee, my profound adoration. I 
firmly believe that thou art really present in the holy 
eucharist, as powerful, as amiable, and as adorable 
as thou art in heaven : thou hast mercifully hidden 
the splendor of thy majesty, lest it should deter 
us from approaching thy sanctuary. I believe thou 
dwellest on our altars, not only to receive our adora- 
tions, but to listen to our petitions, to remedy our 
evils, to be the strength and nourishment of our souls, 
our powerful helper, our refuge, and our sacrifice. I 
hope in that boundless mercy which detains thee 
among us, poor, weak sinners. I love that infinite 
goodness which induces thee to communicate thyself 
so liberally and so wonderfully to thy creatures. I 
thank thee for so convincing a proof of thy love, and 
ardently wish that I could worthily acknowledge all 
the blessings I have ever received from this fountain 
of grace and mercy. I sincerely regret that this 
precious pledge of thy love is received by the gen- 
erality with such coldness and indifference. 

Alas ! I myself have had too much share, by my 
ungrateful conduct, in wounding thy merciful heart, 

505 



506 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



and I am more guilty than others, since very few have 
been so much favored Thou hast not only granted 
me abundantly the general blessings which this foun- 
tain of grace pours on the world, but thou hast pro- 
vided me with most favorable opportunities of loving 
and adoring thee in this august mystery. 

Ah, iny good God. I am now convinced that thou 
deservest from me all the love that my heart is capa- 
ble of feeling ; therefore I humbly consecrate to thee 
all my affections, and firmly resolve, from this mo- 
ment, to endeavor to imitate the respect, gratitude, 
and love which always distinguished those among thy 
faithful servants who were most peculiarly devoted to 
the august sacrament of the altar. Accept. O divine 
Jesus, all the sacrifices of Mass that have been offered, 
and that will be offered hereafter, throughout the whole 
world, in thanksgiving for the institution of this amia- 
ble mystery ; in atonement for all the insults, irrever- 
ences, and sacrileges which have ever been committed 
against it, and to implore for myself and all creatures 
a solid devotion to the holy eucharist. Mercifully 
give efficacy to my ardent desire of worthily honoring 
thee in this adorable mystery, and grant me. through 
thy divine heart, a share in the purity and fervor of 
the angels who day and night surround thy sanctuary, 
and of all those who have loved thee most in this 
sacred mystery, that I may serve thee with sincerity 
and perseverance during my life, and be so happy, at 
length, as to enjoy thee in the splendor of thy glory 
for a happy eternity. Amen. 



OMY SOUL, what art thou doing? This is not 
a time to be lost ; this time is precious, since 
thou mayest now obtain all the graces which are neces- 

* Number II. may also be used after communion. 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



507 



sary for thee. Dost thou now behold the heavenly 
Father contemplating, on this altar, his beloved Son, 
the dearest object of his complacency ? Reject, then, 
every other thought, reanimate thy faith, open wide 
thy heart, and demand with confidence whatever thou 
pleasest. 

Dost thou not hear Jesus saying to thy interior, 
What wilt thou have me to do for thee ? I am here 
for the purpose of enriching thee, and of satisfying 
the desires of thy heart : ask, then, with confidence, 
and thou shalt have whatever thou wilt. 

Ah, my sweet Jesus, thou art here (come to me) 
in order to bestow all thy graces upon me, and wishest 
me to ask for them. I desire neither riches, honors, 
nor pleasures ; what I want, and what I conjure thee 
to grant me, is, a great sorrow for the injury which I 
have done thee by my sins. Enlighten my under- 
standing also, that I may clearly discover the vanity 
of all human things, the value of thy love, and of all 
those perfections which render thee so worthy of being 
loved. Change my heart, disengage it from all affec- 
tion to creatures, and give me a new heart, entirely 
conformable to thy holy will ; a heart which may study 
in all things thy holy will, and ma}^ aspire after noth- 
ing but the love of thee. These favors which I ask 
are more than I deserve, but thou, O Jesus, hast 
merited them for me ; I crave them, therefore, through 
thy divine merits, through the love which thou enter- 
tainest for thy eternal Father, and through the inter- 
cession of thy blessed Mother. 

nr. 

ADORABLE JESUS, inexhaustible Source of 
svreetness and delight, thy divine voice, from 
the midst of this tabernacle, invites to thee all those 
who hunger and thirst, that thou may est replenish 



508 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



them with the waters of life, and feed their souls with 
the .manna of heaven. O my only Love, I come at 
thy invitation ; I am one of those who have long 
sighed and thirsted after that celestial peace which 
is not found in earthly delights, and is only enjoyed 
by those who have learned to despise them. O thou, 
who " openest thy hand, and fillest with blessing ev- 
ery living creature," send me not away fasting, i4 lest 
I faint in the way." Assist me, for the eyes of all 
are turned towards thee. Feed my soul which sighs 
for this bread of heaven, and give me of that ' i water 
springing up unto everlasting life," that henceforward 
I may thirst but for thee alone. 

But, Lord, should not my spiritual poverty, my 
extreme wretchedness, deter me from presuming to 
approach thy altar, or from hoping to drink at the 
" fountains of the" Saviour, in union with those who 
are thy cherished friends and favorite servants ? 

How shall I presume to solicit favors and graces, 
which thou hast often granted me, but of which I am 
now destitute, because I have squandered and abused 
them ? Alas ! I have spent the treasures of those 
graces hitherto received t; for that which is not bread, 
and labored for that which doth not" and cannot 
" satisfy me." O my adorable Love, and my only 
real Benefactor, wilt thou pardon me ? wilt thou again 
receive and strengthen me ? Yes, I feel that thou wilt. 
Thou hast not called me to send me awa}^ empty. I 
have deserved to be abandoned ; yet I am, notwith- 
standing, a soul " sought after and not forsaken." O, 
give me then that bread of life and salvation which 
thou mercifully offerest without price, but which, 
though poor of myself, I can purchase with the infi- 
nite treasure of my Saviour's merits ; give me that 
tw wine," my sovereign Love, u for which thou" thy- 
self u hast labored;" and may I drink it with so 
ardent a love on earth that it ma}' purchase for me 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



509 



the bliss of being inebriated with a torrent of delight 
for eternity. 

IV. 

O SACKED Victim of love, the eternal Lover of 
even those who love thee not, the hope and 
faithful Friend of those who serve thee, behold one 
who most earnestly desires to know thee as his only 
good, and to serve thee as his sovereign Lord ; be- 
hold one whom thou hast looked on from all eternity, 
in the designs of thy mercy ; whom thou hast chosen 
for one of thy own beloved flock ; whom thou hast 
loved as such, and whose possession, support, and 
even nourishment thou art in this adorable sacrament. 
O beloved of my soul, pardon me then if I address 
thee with such confidence as tlry love seems to au- 
thorize, and most powerfully attracts. It is not I 
who forget the immense distance between thy almighty 
greatness and my contemptible nothingness ; it is thou 
tlry self who hast overlooked, in my favor, the prerog- 
atives of thy infinite majest}^, and, anxious only to ob- 
tain my love, hast declared that thy " delights are to 
be with the children of men." O how true it is, that 
''having loved" thy "own" who "were in the world," 
thou hast " loved them to the end," and stretched thy 
love to such lengths as were never heard of, until thou 
thyself hadst deigned to teach us how to love. O, 
why will not all learn from thee the divine science of 
perfect love? Why are not all convinced that, should 
the}' even i ' speak with the tongues of men and of 
angels," and have "not charity," the}' are but " as 
sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal " ? For my part, 
O life of my soul, confused and humbled at m}' past 
indifference, I now come, and consecrate nryself irrev- 
ocably to thy love and service. I desire no other 
dignity than that of a devoted adorer of this amiable 
mystery ; no other support than this bread of life, 



510 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



and no other happiness in this world than that which 
ia found by those favored souls who most fervently 
love thee. Amen. 

v. 

OMY GOD. my most adorable refuge, terrified at 
my own weakness, covered with the wounds I 
have already received, solicited by innumerable pas- 
sions to offend thee anew, and tortured by the appre- 
hension of being at this moment an object: of thy just 
indignation. I throw myself at the foot of this altar. 
O Lord, thou in whose u sight the stars are not pure," 
east me not away from thy face, and take not thy Holy 
Spirit from me. I have often and grievously offended 
thee ; I know not whether thou hast pardoned me. or 
whether I am worthy of love or hatred ; I am engaged 
in a conflict to which, of myself. I am unequal ; and 
by the abuse of the favors thou hast hitherto granted 
me, I have rendered myself unworthy of those special 
graces which are necessary to conquer such enemies 
as mine. Pursued by unceasing solicitations to offend 
thee, my sovereign Good, wearied by my evil inclina- 
tions, and disgusted with the fund of depravity which 
lies lurking in my heart, I too often doubt whether I 
may not have committed the evil which I sovereignly 
dread, and am even on the point of wounding thy ador- 
able heart by despairing of that mercy which cannot 
be exhausted by ingratitude even greater than mine. 
O my God. all my misery is before thee, and my con- 
flicts are not hidden from thy sight ; thou hast not 
forbidden thy children to complain to thee, to lay their 
griefs at thy feet, and pour their sorrows into that 
paternal bosom where the good and the weak find a 
secure refuge. Ah. why have I so long delayed to 
seek thee, my divine Comforter? Why have I not 
always fled to thee in this most amiable sacrament, 
where thou art, to all who hope in thee, a Helper, a 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



511 



Deliverer, a tower of strength from the face of their 
enemies? Behold me now, my God and Redeemer, 
behold me at thy sacred feet, oppressed and pursued 
by inveterate foes, whom thou alone canst put to 
flight. Arise, then, adorable Jesus, arise, and judge 
thy own cause ; abandon not a soul which combats 
in thy name, and for tlry love ; be thou unto me a 
God, a Protector, and let this august tabernacle be 
to me a house of refuge, where thou, my divine Mas- 
ter, wilt not only preserve me from grievous falls, but 
also instruct me in that sublime perfection which 
springs from humility of heart, and which teaches to 
detest sin, and at the same time to embrace the ab- 
jection which springs therefrom, and dwell with joy 
on the conviction which it creates of the innate mis- 
ery of our weak natures. Ah, why should I despond ? 
Am I not resolved to die a thousand deaths rather 
than offend thee? Yes, 1113' adorable Saviour, I will, 
with the assistance of thy grace, resist all that is con- 
trary, not only to thy law, but to the perfection of thy 
love ; and all the torments of hell itself I would infi- 
nitely prefer to the enjoyment of anj- worldly delight 
which would separate me from thee. For these dis- 
positions, Lord, I most fervently thank thy boundless 
mercy ; they come not from myself, but are the effects 
of thy grace, which is with me, notwithstanding my 
un worthiness. 

I will, then, confidently hope in thy assistance, in 
that mercy which is above all thy works, and once 
more cast myself, and all that I am and have, into 
thy divine bosom. I commit my salvation to thy 
care ; for I am well convinced that it is dearer to thee 
than it can be to me, and that thou wilt never aban- 
don a soul which thou didst not consider too highly 
purchased by the sacrifice of thy precious lite. 



512 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



VI. 

OMOST amiable Jesus, adorable Victim of such 
love as no man hath ever shown to his dearest 
friend, how is it possible that thou still remainest on 
our altars a passive witness of our ingratitude ? How 
canst, thou behold, without indignation, the conduct 
of those who profess their love for thee, but whose 
actions contradict their words? Pardon, O Beloved 
of my soul, pardon my past indifference, my ingrat- 
itude, my forgetfulness, and abuse of thy mercies. 
O, discover to me the love which consumed thy own 
adorable heart ; give me entrance into its inmost re- 
cesses, that I may number the pains, and contemplate 
the anguish, which my salvation cost thee, and then 
blush at my own tepidity and reserve. Let me learn, 
in that sacred furnace of divine charity, to consider 
all things easy and delightful which are done for thee, 
my divine Lord, and to walk steadily in the thorny 
road wherein I can best prove my desire to love and 
imitate thee. 

VII. 

OMY GOD, my adorable Love, I am firmly con- 
vinced that the heart made for thee will be 
satisfied with nothing less than thyself. I consecrate 
myself forever to thee in this august mystery, per- 
suaded that the soul created to feast on thy adorable 
charms can never be so happily, so profitably em- 
ployed, as in contemplating the most wonderful mir- 
acle of thy mercy and love. Come, then, into my 
heart, that I may enter into thine. Come, and by 
one sweet transport of thy love, concentrate every 
power of my soul in thee. Teach me, my heavenly 
Spouse, to spare no exertion in thy service ; to de- 
spise and forever renounce every gratification which 
this world can bestow, that I may cleservfe to repose 



5ia 



in thy arms, to lean on thy bosom with thy beloved 
disciple, and to " taste and see how sweet" thou art. 
Adorable heart of Jesus, delicious abode of the just, 
and secure refuge of sinners, receive me : thou art 
" my rest forever and ever ; " in thee " will I dwell, 
for I have chosen it." 

VIII. 

ITTELL know. Lord, that I have no claim to the 
blessings which thou dost promise to the innocent 
and clean of heart. I deserve not a place among the 
happy few who "have not defiled their garments." 
and who shall walk with thee " because they are wor- 
thy." Xo. my God ; on the contrary. I feel that I 
am "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, 
and naked." divine Lamb, who takest away the 
sins of the world, wert thou not as rich as thou art 
in that mercy which is from eternity and unto eternity, 
I should flee from thy presence, lest the merited rigor 
of thy justice should crush me to nothing. But when 
I behold thee in the most sacred host, the Victim for 
our sins, not my Judge, but my Mediator. I am en- 
couraged to hope that, though I have not walked in 
innocence, yet thou wilt receive me with those who 
follow thee whithersoever thou goest. O my sover- 
eign Good, I know thou art willing to sanctify me : I 
know that, if thou wilt sprinkle me with the adorable 
blood which is actually present on this altar, I shall 
be cleansed, and that, if thou wilt wash me. I shall 
be made whiter than snow. I know that " if thou 
wilt, thou canst make me clean." Ah. remember, 
Beloved of my soul, remember that this confidence I 
feel in thy mercy must be thy gift, and that it is cer- 
tainly thy will that I should act from its impulse. 
Reject me not, then, my only hope ; receive me into 
thy adorable heart, and give me entrance into the 
33 



514 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



wound of thy sacred side — that " opened door which 
no man can shut." that gate through which all thy 
children may safely pass to those realms of bliss 
where thou. O divine Lamb, who art in the midst of 
this altar. ^ shait rale them, and shalt lead them to the 
fountains " of the waters of life, where they shall feed 
on the enrapturing view of thee, the uncreated and 
eternal beauty, and receive from thyself a super- 
abundant reward of all they shall have done or suf- 
fered for thy love. 

IX. 

OMY GOD. how great is thy mercy and thy for- 
giveness to them that turn to thee ! Thou hast 
received in this sanctuary a sinner who is unworthy 
of the least of thy mercies, and hast so inflamed my 
he art with thy love, that I would joyfully sacrifice 
my existence at this moment, rather than depart from 
thee by a wilful transgression. But, O my adorable 
Jesus, this is not the first time thou hast penetrated 
my heart, and forcibly inclined my soul to be all 
thine ; yet where is the fruit of those holy disposi- 
tions, for which I was indebted to thy gratuitous 
mercy ? 

Alas ! how should I tremble, when I reflect on my 
own inconstancy and ingratitude ! What could I 
have found, out of thee, worthy of my love? My 
God, I feel that I am weak ; but in making this ac- 
knowledgment, my soul is tilled with consolation, 
because I know that when I am weak, then I am 
strong, for in my weakness thy divine power will be 
perfected. Place thyself as a seal upon nry heart, 
and give me such ardent love that each breath, sigh, 
and desire of my soul may henceforward be so many 
acts of union with thee in this ineffable and amiable 
mysteiy. 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



515 



X. 

OGOD of infinite majesty, behold at thy sacred 
feet a sinner who has deserved to he eternally 
banished from this awful sanctuary. Behold the most 
ungrateful among those who have abused thy mercy, 
the most hardened among those who have slighted 
thy promises, and been deaf to thy voice. O adorable 
Victim of thy own boundless love, were it possible that 
a sentence of death could proceed from this tabernacle, 
I would flee from thy presence, because I know that a 
thousand deaths would be insufficient to expiate the 
enormities I have myself committed against this ador- 
able mystery, as well as the insults of all men, which 
I am come to acknowledge and deplore. But, Lord, 
miserable, guilty, undeserving as I am, yet surely I 
am one of thy own people, a child who will not deny 
thy presence on this altar, or refuse my firm assent 
to all the mysteries contained in this miracle of love. 
Hear me, then, a poor wretch making supplication to 
thee, and presuming on thy mercy, Listen to me, O 
injured, but most merciful Redeemer, in behalf of all 
those unbelieving people who walk in a way that is 
not good, after their own thoughts ; in behalf of all 
who wound thy adorable heart b}' fleeing from thy 
sanctuaries and distrusting thy mercy. Yet, alas ! 
who am I, to implore thy compassion on sinners, whose 
iniquities I have imitated, and whose ingratitude I 
have exceeded ? O that I could expiate their ofiences 
and my own ! O that I could offer as much fervent 
love, as much lively contrition, as thou receivest con- 
tempt and insult, and art treated with ingratitude 
and forgetfulness in this most amiable mystery ! I 
have nothing of myself, I acknowledge, nor can I do 
anything to please thee ; still I am enabled hj thy 
actual residence on this altar, in quality of my Vic- 
tim, to orier some satisfaction for all thou endurest 



516 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



for me. Accept, then, divine heart of my Saviour, 
the love with which thou art thyself consumed, to 
atone for the indifference of all men. Remember the 
tenderness with which thou hast loved them, the mer- 
cy witli which thou hast redeemed them, the patience 
with which thou hast waited for them, and then have 
mercy on them, lest they should perish. 

XI. 

OMY GOD, the wise and adorable Distributer of 
thy own gifts, permit me. at the foot of thy tab- 
ernacle, to praise thee in thy saints, and to extol thy 
power in the miracles of mercy thou hast so often 
wrought in favor of weak mortals : permit me, Lord 
of majest}', to glorify thy name for the graces be- 
stowed on those who are solely devoted to thy love. 
O spotless Sanctity, may thy happy disciples learn 
from thee, their divine Master and Model, to know 
and to appreciate their happiness by living but for 
thee, who art their praise and their God, that hath 
clone for them such great and admirable things. 
Teach them, immaculate Lamb, to yield not to the 
angels in purity, to the seraphim in ardor, or to the 
cherubim in desire and in effort to know their Beloved, 
who is •* chosen out of thousands." Let their eyes 
feast but on thy enchanting beauty, their ears be open 
but to thy divine voice, and their hearts be sensible 
only to the inspirations of thy mercy and love. 

XII. 

OS ACRED Victim of my salvation, how dear 
must my soul be to thee, since, not content with 
dying to purchase my eternal happiness, thou still 
continuest, on this altar, the life-giving sacrifice by 
which thou didst redeem the universe ! I most firmly 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



517 



believe that thou art present on this altar, the same 
Victim that once expired, for my sake, on Mount 
Calvary ; I believe that, in this most amiable mystery, 
thou art always living to make intercession for us ; I 
believe that the adorable blood which gushed from 
every pore of thy sacred body now flows on this altar 
as really, abundantly, and efficaciously as it once did 
on that of Calvary, and that the love which consumed 
thy divine heart in the midst of thy torments still 
glows with undiminished ardor. SaA'e me, then, O 
Jesus, I conjure thee, and grant that I may lose every- 
thing rather than the recollection of what thou hast 
done and still doest for my sake. Let thy humilia- 
tions be my glory, thy cross my support, and thy 
amiable, adorable sacrament my treasure and refuge. 
Grant that my sweetest comfort may be to weep at 
the foot of thy altars, not over thee, but for my sins, 
and the offences of those for whom thou hast suffered. 

A PRAYER FOR A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

OMY sweet Saviour Jesus Christ, thou art my 
sovereign Good, the Fountain of all good, my 
God, and my all. I most firmly believe that for 
us sinners, and for our salvation, thou wast pleased 
to come down from heaven, to take upon thyself, by 
the mystery of the incarnation, our human nature, 
and to become one of us, that so thou mightest be 
our High Priest and Victim ; I most firmly believe 
that thou offeredst thyself upon the cross a sacrifice 
for us all, after having suffered man}' cruel torments, 
and that by thy glorious resurrection and admirable 
ascension, thou hast opened the gates of heaven for 
us ; I most firmly believe that in these sacred myste- 
ries thou art truly and really present, and that thy 
sacred bod}' and blood are here received by the faith- 
ful in remembrance of thy death. O, how happy are 



518 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE 



those souls who worthily receive thee in this divine 
sacrament ! O, what graces, what sanctity, do 
they receive from the Fountain of all sanctity ! O 
that I were so happy as to be worthy to approach, 
this day, to thy heavenly banquet, and to feed on 
the food of life, the bread of angels ! But, alas ! I 
am the most wretched of all sinners, who, from nry 
first coming to the nse of reason till this hour, have 
in innumerable ways offended thee, ray God. M\ r 
soul is overspread with a universal leprosy, covered 
on all sides with ulcers, and is unclean and filthy 
beyond measure, and therefore infinitely unworthy to 
approach the Lord of purity and sanctity. In this 
lamentable state, I dare not so much as look up 
towards thy altar, much less approach it. With eyes 
and heart cast down, and with a deep sense of my 
manifold treasons and great unworthiness, I humbly 
beg pardon of thee for all my sins, and implore thy 
mercy. O Fountain of mercy, have compassion on 
me, and suffer me at least to sigh after thee, and, 
though I am unworthy of thy embraces, permit me, 
like the penitent Magdalen, to present myself at least 
before thy feet, and wash them in spirit with my tears. 
O, may thy sacred blood, which thou hast shed for all 
sinners, cleanse my poor soul, this day, from all its 
filth. O, come to me, dear Lord, in spirit, and take 
possession of all the powers of my soul. May I be 
recollected in thee : enlighten my understanding, and 
inflame my will with thy love. O, let me be thine, 
and thou mine, from henceforth and forever, and 
grant that nothing in life or death may ever separate 
me from thee any more. In this one prayer, hear 
me. O Lord, and in all things else do with me 
what thou wilt. 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



519 



ANOTHER PRAYER. 

OMY sweet Jesus, I do not deserve to approach 
thee ; but I humbly beseech thee, for thy own 
mercy's sake, and through the love which thou hast 
ever borne my unworthy soul, to grant that I may, 
as the Chanaan woman, gather some of the crumbs 
which fall from thy holy table. 

ANOTHER PRAYER. 

OMY adorable Saviour. I am not worthy to re- 
ceive thee ; bat do thou supply my want of dispo- 
sitions ; pardon me my sins ; I detest them from 1113' 
heart, purely because they are displeasing to thee. 
Accept my ardent desire to be united to thee, and 
mercifully grant that I ma}' love thee, with my whole 
heart, with my whole soul, and with my whole mind. 

XIII. 

T KNOW, my adorable Lord, that thou dost, hy 
JL tlry divine immensity, pervade the whole universe ; 
and that, ui if I take my wings early in the morning, 
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. even 
there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand 
shall hold me." Yet, my dearest Lord, in thy 
churches only does thy holy humanity abide on earth, 
and in them only can I approach and kneel at the 
feet of Him who was pierced for my transgressions, 
and who remains with us to apply his all-atoning, all- 
efricacious merits to my needy, guilty soul. Yes. my 
Redeemer, thou art truly here my Saviour, and the 
Saviour of all. The inexpressible consolation, sweet- 
ness, and strength, which, when before thy taberna- 
cle, I feel within my soul, tell me that my Jesus, the 
divine fountain of all consolation, sweetness, and 
strength, is near, and from his mercy-seat, in the 



520 



DEVOTIONS BEFORE THE SACRAMENT. 



midst of us, regards with tender compassion the 
poor, unworthy, guilty sinner at his feet. But, m} r 
dearest Saviour, sovereign Lord of my soul. I must 
now for some hours leave, at least in body, this 
hallowed temple, this favored residence of thy sacred 
humanity amongst us : and. O most merciful Saviour, 
God of tender compassion and infinite love, that 
which tome is unutterably sweeter than hone j or the 
honeycomb, is my cherished station here before thy 
tabernacle, at thy sacred feet. But, my God, ni}' 
Saviour, as true love consists in a perfect conformity 
to thy will, I cheerfully make the sacrifice, which I 
know thou thyself requirest of me. since the voice 
of obedience is the voice of thy will in my regard. 
But do not let me go without thy blessing ; grant that 
it may no longer be I who live, but thou, my Jesus, 
who livest in me ; that, amidst my exterior occupa- 
tions, my heart may be continually turned towards 
our sacred tnbernacle, in which, O mystery of infinite 
love and goodness, thou remainest for the beneiit of 
the souls thou hast so mercifully redeemed. 



THE LITANY 

OF 

THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



IORD. have mercy on us. 
^ Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 

O living bread, which came down from heaven, 
O Saviour of Israel, who art truly a hidden 
God, 

O wheat of the elect, 

O wine, which makest virgins, 

O bread yielding dainties to kings, 

Continual sacrifice, 

Clean oblation, 

Lamb without blemish, 

Food of angels, 

Hidden manna. 

Memorial of the wonders of God, 

Supersubstantial bread, 

Word made flesh, and dwelling among us, 

Holy Victim, 

Chalice of benediction, 

Mystery of faith, 

521 



522 



THE LITANY OF 



Most high and venerable sacrament. i 

Most holy sacrifice, truly propitiatory for the 
living and the dead, 

Heavenly antidote, by which we are preserved 
from sin. 

Most stupendous of all miracles, 

Memorial of the most sacred passion of our 
Lord, 

Gift of God, exceeding all fulness, 
Singular pledge of divine love. 
Overflow of divine liberality, 
Most holy and august mystery, 
Remedy, which confers immortality. 
Awful and life-giving sacrament, I 
Bread, by the omnipotence of the Word 
changed into flesh, 
Unbloodj* sacrifice, 
Our food and our guest. 

Delicious banquet, at which ministering angels 
are present, 

Sacrament of piety, 
Bond of unity, 
Offerer and oblation, 

Spiritual sweetness, tasted in its very source, 
Reflection of holy souls. 
Viaticum of those who die in the Lord, 
Pledge of the glory to come, 
Be merciful ; spare us, O Lord. 
Be merciful ; hear us, O Lord. 
From an unworthy receiving of thy body and ' 
blood, 

From the concupiscence of the flesh, 
From the concupiscence of the e3'es, 
From the pride of life, 
From all occasions of sin, 
By the desire with which thou clesirest to eat 
this pasch with thy disciples, 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



525 



By that profound humility which prompted] O 
thee to wash the feet of thy disciples, b< 

By that most ardent charity which moved thee 
to institute this divine sacrament, [ " 

By thy most precious blood, which thou hast ' |£ 
left to us on our altars, |" 

By the live wounds, which, for our sake, thou "* 
received st in thy most sacred body. J p 

\Ye sinners do beseech thee to hear us. 

That thou vouchsafe to preserve and increase in 
our hearts the reverence and devotion due to this 
admirable sacrament, we beseech thee to hear us. 

That thou vouchsafe, by a sincere confession of our 
sins, to make us worthy of a frequent participation of 
the holy eueharist, we beseech thee to hear us. 

That thou vouchsafe to deliver us from all heresy, 
periidiousness, and blindness of heart, we beseech 
thee to hear us. 

That thou vouchsafe to impart to us the precious 
and heavenly fruits of this holy sacrament, we be- 
seech thee to hoar us. 

That thou vouchsafe, at the hour of our death, to 
strengthen and comfort us with this celestial viaticum, 
we beseech thee to hear us. 

Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us. 

Lamb of God, &c. 

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
V. Thou hast given them bread from heaven. 
JR. Having in it all that is delicious. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, who in this wonderful sacrament hast 
left us a memorial of thy passion, grant us, we 
beseech thee, so to reverence the sacred mysteries of 
thy body and blood that we may always find in our 
souls the fruit of thy redemption, who livest and 
reignest, world without end. Amen. 



524 



A VISIT TO 



A VISIT TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

Guardian Angel. 

JESUS is very lonely. He is weary waiting for 
those whom he loves, but who forget him. Let 
us visit him. Walk gently ; the church is a holy 
place : God is here. Kneel and adore him. It 
delights the dear Heart of Jesus to have you near 
him ; listen to his sweet voice speaking to your 
heart. 

Jesus. 

•My child, you need not know much in order to 
please me; only love me dearly. Speak to me as 
you would talk to your mother, if she had taken you 
in her amis. Have you no one to recommend to me? 
Tell me the names of your relations, of your friends; 
after each name add what you wish me to do for 
them. Ask a great deal ; 1 love generous hearts 
that forget themselves for others. 

Tell me about the poor whom you want to help, 
the sick whom you have seen sutler, the sinner whom 
you would convert, the persons who are alienated 
from you, and whose affections you wish to win back. 
For all recite a fervent prayer. Remind me that I 
have promised to grant every prayer that comes from 
the heart ; and surely the prayers are heartfelt which 
we say for those whom we love and who love us. 

Have you no favors to ask for yourself ? Write, 
if you like, a long list of all your wishes — all the 
needs of your soul — and come and read it to me. 
Tell me simply how self-indulgent you are, how 
proud, touchy, selfish, cowardly, idle ; ask me to 
help 3*011 to improve. Poor child, do not blush ! 
There arc in heaven many saints who had the same 
faults as you ; they prayed to me, and little by little 
they were heard and assisted.. 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



525 



Do not hesitate to ask me for the goods of body 
and mind — for health, memory, success. I can give 
everything, and I always give when the gifts would 
make souls more holy. What do yon want to-day, 
my child? Oh. if you knew how I long to do you 
good ! 

Have you no plans to interest you? tell me all 
about them. Do they concern your vocation? What 
do you think of? What would you like? Are you 
planning some pleasure for your mother, your family, 
your guardians? what do you wish to do for them? 

And have you no thoughts of zeal for me ? Do you 
not care to do a little good for the souls of your 
friends — of those whom you love, and who perhaps 
forget me? Tell me who interests you. what motive 
urges you. what means you wish to take. 

Confide to me your failures ; I will show you the 
cause. Whom do you wish to see interested in your 
works? I am the master of all hearts, my child, and 
I lead them gently where I please. I will place about 
you those who are necessary to you ; never fear ! 

Have you nothing to annoy you? My child, tell 
me your annoyances, with every detail. 

Who has pained you ? Who has wounded your 
self-love? Who has treated you contemptuously ? 
Tell me all, and then say you forgive and forget ; and 
I will give you my blessing. 

Do you dread something painful ? Is there in your 
soul a vague fear which seems unreasonable and yet 
torments you ? Trust fully in my providence. I am 
here ; I see everything ; I will not leave you. 

Are there about you friends who seem less kind 
than formerly, who neglect through indifference or 
forgetfulness, without your having consciously done 
anything to wound them? Pray for them, and I will 
restore them to you, if their companionship is good 
for you. 



526 



A VI5IT TO 



Have you no joys to tell me ? why not confide to 
me your pleasures ? Tell me what has happened since 
yesterday to console you, to make you happy, to give 
you joy. An unexpected visit has done you good ; 
a fear was suddenly dispelled. You have met with 
unlooked for success ; you have received some mark 
of affection — a letter, a present; some trial has left 
you stronger than you supposed. All these things, 
my child, I obtained for you. Wiry are you not grate- 
ful? Wiry do you not say, " I thank you"? Grat- 
itude draws benefits, and the benefactor loves to be 
reminded of his bounty. 

Have you no promise to make me ? You know I 
read the Aery bottom of your heart. Men are de- 
ceived, but not God ; be frank. 

Are you resolved to avoid that occasion of sin, to 
give up the object which leads you astray? — not 
to read that book which excites your imagination ; to 
withdraw your friendship from that person who is 
irreligious, and whose presence disturbs the peace of 
your soul ? Will you go at once and be kind to that 
companion who annoyed you ? 

Well, my child, go now and resume your daily work. 
Be silent, modest, patient, charitable ; love the Blessed 
Virgin dearly ; and to-morrow bring me a heart even 
more devoted and loving. To-morrow I shall have 
new favors for you. 

LOVING SOUL. 

Sweet Jesus, since thy will ordains 

These daily cares of mine, 
And since I may not break the chains 

That keep me from thy shrine, 
O, make me as a little torch 

Of purest charity, 
To kindle in indifferent hearts 

The tend'rest love of thee. 



THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 



527 



PRAYER TO THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT, AND TO THE 
SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

SEE where thy boundless love has reached, my lov- 
ing Jesus ! Thou, of thy flesh and precious blood 
hast made ready for me a banquet wherein' to wholly 
give me thyself. Who drove thee to this excess of 
loye for me? Thy Heart, thy loving Heart, O adora- 
ble Heart of Jesus ! burning furnace of divine Love ! 
Within thy sacred wound, take thou my soul, that, in 
the school of charity, I may learn to love that God 
who has given me such wondrous proof of his great 
love. Amen. 

PRAYER AT THE END OF THE VISIT TO THE BLESSED 
SACRAMENT. 

BEFORE retiring, I beg thy pardon, O my God, 
for my distractions, my tepidity, and for all the 
faults which I have committed in thy divine presence 
during this visit. I leave thee my heart ; fill it with 
grace and love ; and before I retire from thee, my 
God, give me thy divine blessing. I ask it for this 
moment and for all ury life, that I nmy live henceforth 
for thee alone. 

EJACULATIONS. 

I ADORE thee every moment, O Living Bread of 
Heaven, great Sacrament ! 
Jesus, Heart of Mary, I pray thee send thy bless- 
ing on 1113' soul 1 

Holiest Jesus, loving Saviour ! I give thee all my 
heart. 

Sweet Heart of Jesus ! be thou nvy love. 
May all know, adore, and praise every moment, 
always the most holy and most divine Sacrament I 

O Sacrament most holy ! O Sacrament divine ! 
All praise and thanksgiving be every moment thine ! 



DEVOTIONS 

TO 

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



CONFRATERNITY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

THE object of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
is to honor the ardent charity with which that divine 
heart has always been inflamed for mankind. The faithful 
servants of God have in all ages practised this devotion; but 
since the last century it has been much more extensively 
diffused, in eonsequenee of a revelation made to a fervent 
religious, in a convent of the Visitation, in France. In 1803, 
his holiness Pius VII. approved an association of the Sacred 
Heart, established in Rome, granting it special indulgences, 
with the privilege of aggregating to itself other associations 
of the Sacred Heart throughout the Church. To be received 
into a confraternity of the Sacred Heart, it is necessary to 
apply for admission to the clergyman, who is empowered to 
this effect, and who records the names of applicants in a 
register kept for this purpose. 

The particular intention of this devotion is, to make repara- 
tion for the outrages committed against the Heart of Jesus 
during his mortal life: outrages which continue to be commit- 
ted against him in the adorable Eucharist, which is the sacra- 
ment of his love. 

It was for this end that our Lord revealed to venerable Sister 
Mary Alacogne, that he wished the festival and devotion of the 
Sacred Heart to be instituted in the Church. 

It is related in the life of this holy nun, that, being one day 
in prayer before the blessed sacrament, Jesus showed her his 
Heart surrounded with thorns, surmounted by a cross, and 
placed upon a throne of fire; and that he said to her: 41 Be- 
hold the Heart that has so loved men, and has spared nothing 
to testify its love for them,. even to the consuming of itself for 
their sake ; but, in return, receives from the generality of 
mankind nothing but dishonor and ingratitude. What afflicts 

528 



DEVOTIONS TO THE SACKED HEART OF JESUS, 529 



me most is, that hearts which treat me thus have been conse- 
crated to mo." Our Saviour then bade her use her utmost 
endeavors to procure the celebration of a particular festival 
in honor of his divine Heart, on the first Friday after the 
Octave of Corpus Christi; and this, for these principal inten- 
tions : 

1. That Christians might return him thanks for the ineffable 
gift bestowed upon them in the blessed Eucharist. 

2. That they might repair, by their homage and adoration, 
the irreverence and contempt with which he has been treated 
by sinners in this most holy sacrament. 

3. That they might give him the honor due unto him, but 
withheld from him in so many churches, where he is so little 
loved, revered, and adored. 

He promised to pour out abundantly the riches of his Heart 
on all who should practise this devotion, not only on the feast 
itself, but on other days when they visited the blessed sacra- 
ment. 

Confraternities of the Sacred Heart have been established 
and enriched by the Holy See with numerous indulgences. 

The Plenary Indulgences granted to the Associates (with the 
usual conditions *) are as follows : 

1. On the day of admission. 

2. On the feast of the Sacred Heart. 

3. The first Friday or the first Sunday in each month. 

4. On any one day in each month, at choice. 

5. At the hour of death, on condition of invoking (at least 
mentally) the holy name of Jesus. 

6. On Christmas-day, Maundy-Thursday, Easter-day, and 
Ascension-day. 

7. On the feasts of the Conception. Nativity, Annunciation, 
Purification, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin ; on All 
Saints, All Souls, and on the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul, 
St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist. 

8. On the six Fridays or the six Sundays preceding the feast 
of the Sacred Heart, according as it is celebrated on the Fri- 
day or on the Sunday after the feast of Corpus Christi. 

9. On the feast of St. Gregory the Great. 

* 1. To gain the plenary indulgences Xos. 6 and 7. as well as the partial indul- 
gences 1, 2, o, 4, and 5, it is necessary to pay a visit to the chapel of the Confra- 
ternity, or to perform some other work of piety enjoined by a confessor, not as a 
sacramental penance, but as a condition of the indulgence*. 

2. To gain the plenary indulgence No. 8. and the partial indulgence Xo. 6, it is 
necessary to visit a church or chapel of the Confraternity in which is celebrated 
the feast of the Sacred Heart. 

34 



530 



DEVOTIONS TO 



The Partial Indulgences are : 

1. Thirty years and their quarantines.* on the three flays 

after Christmas-day; on the feast of the Circumcision and the 
Epiphany: the Sundays of Septuagesima. Sexagesima, and 
Quinquagesima; Good Friday and Holy Saturday; every day 
during the Octave of Easter; on Low Sunday, the feast of St. 
Mark, and the Rogation-days; and on Whit-Sunday, and dur- 
ing its Octave. 

2. Twenty years and their quarantines, on Palm-Sunday. 

3. Fifteen years and their quarantines, on Ash- Wednesday, 
the fourth Sunday of Lent, the third Sunday of Advent : on the 
Eve and at the Midnight and Daybreak Masses of Christmas. 

\. Ten years and their quarantines, on the first, second, aud 
fourth Sundays of Advent: everyday in Lent (except those 
mentioned above), the Vigil of Pentecost, and the three days 
of the Ember-weeks. 

5. Seven years and their quarantines, on the Visitation and 
Presentation of the Bk-ssed Virgin, and on the feasts of the 
Apostles mentioned above. 

G. The same on every day of the Novena preceding the feast 
of the Sacred Heart. 

7. Seven years and their quarantines, on the four Sundays 
immediately preceding that feast 

8. The same, at every visit to a picture of the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus in any chureh or chapel where it is exposed to public 
veneration : the conditions being contrition and prayers for the 
Pope's intention. 

9. Sixty days for every work of piety performed by the 
members. 

N. B. — These indulgences are applicable to the souls in 
Purgatory. 

All that is required of the Associates, in order to obtain the 
privileges attached to the Confraternity (after admission by a 
duly authorized priest), is to say, every day. the Lord's Prayer, 
the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed, once, with the follow- 
ing aspiration : 

0. sweetest Heart of Jesus. I implore 
The grace to love thee more and more. 

X. B. — That all Christians may more easily partake of these 
celestial treasures. Pope Pius VII., by a Rescript of the loth of 
May, 1816, was pleased that the indulgences, which were only 



* A quarantine signifies a Lent, or forty days. 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



531 



granted to the members of the Sodality of the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus, should be likewise extended to the faithful in every part of 
the world, who cannot form themselves into a Confraternity or 
Piou> Union, and who may find it difficult to get their names 
enrolled in the pious association existing in Home, or in any 
other Sodality duly established, provided they fulfil the con- 
ditions specified. 

An Act of Consecration to be made before a Picture 
of the Sacred Heart. 

I. X. X.. desirous to make the best return in my 
power for thy benefits, and the most ample atone- 
ment for my transgressions, give thee my heart, and 
consecrate my whole being to thee. O amiable Jesus ; 
and I purpose, with the assistance of thy grace, never 
more to offend thee. 

The faithful, who, contritely and devoutly, say the above 
act daily, before a picture of the Sacred Heart, may gain one 
hundred days' indulgence each time, and a plenary indulgence 
once a month, on any day, at option, provided they comply 
with the usual conditions. These indulgences are applicable 
to the souls in Purgatory. 

Form of Admission into the Confraternity of the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

I. , for the greater honor of Jesus 

Christ crucified, and of his divine Heart, burning 
with love in the blessed Eucharist, and also to repair 
the outrages he receives in this august sacrament, 
associate myself, of my own free will, to the faith- 
ful received into this pious Confraternity ; I desire 
to participate in the indulgences with which it is 
enriched, and in the good works therein performed ; 
both for the expiation of my own sins, and for the 
assistance of the suffering souls in Purgatory. 

O swe.et Jesus I inclose in thy Sacred Heart all the 
members of this Association ; grant that, faithfully 
observing the precepts of thy law., and fulfilling the. 



532 



DEVOTIONS TO 



duties proper to their condition, they ma}' be more and 
mere inflamed with the fire of thy divine love. Amen. 

Received at , on this 

day of 

, Director. 

Live, Jesus ! live and let it be 

My life to die for love of thee. Amen. 



AN" ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED TIE ART 
OF JESUS. 

OMOST amiable Heart of my divine Redeemer, 
considering thy infinite love for all men, and for 
me in particular ; in view of the oppressing grief and 
other pains thou hast endured for my sins : in view 
of the most precious blood thou hast been pleased to 
shed for my redemption ; in view of the excessive 
love thou hast shown us in the institution of the most 
blessed sacrament of the altar ; and in view of those 
infinite perfections which make thee so amiable. I, 
N., do this day consecrate myself to thee without 
reserve for the remainder of my life. I consecrate 
to thee my body, my soul. 1113* thoughts, my desires, 
my words, my actions, and my sufferings, desiring 
thereby to contribute to thy greater glory. In par- 
ticular, I consecrate to thee my heart, with all its 
motions, desiring it may love thee alone, rejoice in 
thee alone, and breathe for thee alone. Receive it 
then, O divine Heart of Jesus, purify it, sanctify it, 
and inflame it with thy most pure love, that it ma}' 
no longer act but by the motion of thy love : nor 
suffer, but for thy love : grieve only, because it loves 
thee so little ; find its only joy in thy love ; desire 
nothing but a continual increase of that love ; and 
fear nothing but the extinction, or even a diminution, 
of that love. In a word, make my heart like to thee, 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



533 



that by thee, with thee, and in thee, it may eternally 
love the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
Amen. 

REPARATION OF HONOR TO THE SACRED HEART. 

OMOST amiable and adorable Heart, centre of 
all hearts, glowing with charity, and inflamed 
with zeal for the interest of thy Father, and the sal- 
vation of mankind ! O Heart, ever sensible of our 
misery, and ever ready to redress our evils ; the real 
Victim of love in the holy eucharist, and a propitia- 
tory sacrifice for the sins of men ! Seeing that the 
generality of Christians make no other return for 
these thy mercies than contempt of thy favors, for- 
getfulness of their own obligation, and ingratitude to 
the best of benefactors, is it not just that we, thy 
servants, penetrated with the deepest sense of the like 
indignities, should enter upon a due and satisfactory 
reparation of honor to thy most sacred Majesty? 
Prostrate, therefore, in body, and humbled in mind, 
before heaven and earth we solemnly declare our ut- 
ter detestation and abhorrence of such a conduct. 
Inexpressible, we know, was the bitterness which the 
multitude of our sins brought on thy tender heart ; 
insufferable the weight of our iniquities, which pressed 
thy face to the earth in the Garden of Olives ; and 
insurmountable thy anguish, when, expiring with love, 
grief, and agony, on Mount Calvary, with thy last 
breath thou wouldest reclaim sinners to their duty 
and repentance. This we know, O dear Redeemer, 
and would most willingly redress these thy sufferings 
by our own, or share with thee in thine. 

O merciful Jesus, ever present on our altars, and 
with a heart open to receive all who 4% labor and are 
burdened ! " O adorable Heart, source of true contri- 
tion, impart to our hearts the true spirit of penance, and 
to our eyes a fountain of tears, that we may bewail 



534 



DEVOTIONS TO 



and wash off our sins, and those of the world. Par- 
don, divine Jesus, all the injuries, reproaches, and 
outrages done thee, through the course of thy holy 
life and bitter passion ; pardon all the impieties, 
irreverences, and sacrileges which have been com- 
mitted against thee in the sacrament of the eueharist, 
from its first institution. Graciously receive the 
small tribute of our sincere repentance, as an agree- 
able offering in thy sight, and in requital for the ben- 
efits we daily receive from the altar on which thou 
art a living and continual sacrifice, and in union with 
that bloody holocaust thou didst present to thy eternal 
Father on Mount Calvary from the cross. 

Sweet Jesus, give thy blessings to the ardent desire 
we now entertain, and the holy resolution we have 
taken of ever loving and adoring thee, after a proper 
manner, in the holy cucharist, thy sacrament of love ; 
thus to repair, by a true conversion of heart, and a 
becoming zeal for thy glory, our past negligence and 
infidelity. But thou, O adorable Heart, who knowest 
the clay of which we are formed, be thou our Medi- 
ator with thy heavenly Father, whom we have so 
grievously offended. Strengthen our weakness : con- 
firm our resolution ; and with thy charity, humility, 
meekness, and patience, cover the multitude of our 
iniquities. Be thou our support, our refuge, and our 
strength, that nothing henceforward, in life or death, 
may separate us from thee. Amen. 

THE PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE TO THE HEART 
OF JESUS. 

HAIL, O sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quick- 
ening source of eternal life, infinite treasury 
of the divinity, burning furnace of divine love ! thou 
art my refuge and my sanctuary. O my amiable Sa- 
viour, consume my heart with that burning fire with 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



535 



which thine is ever inflamed : pour down on my soul 
those graces which flow from thy love, and let my 
heart be so united with thine that our wills ma}' be 
one, and mine in all things conformed to thine. May 
thine be the standard and rule of my desires and of 
rny actions. Amen. 

Lei us pray, 

OGOD, who. out of thy immense love, hast given 
to the faithful the most sacred heart of thy dear 
Son, our Lord, as the object of their tender affections, 
grant, we beseech thee, that we may so love and 
honor this pledge of thy love on earth, that by it 
we may merit to love both thee and thy gilt, and be 
eternally loved by thee and this most blessed heart 
in heaven, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, 
thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without 
end. Amen. 

O SACRED HEART of Jesus, overflowing with 
all sweetness, to thee we recommend ourselves 
and all our concerns, parents and relations, our su- 
periors, benefactors, friends, and enemies ; extend 
thy care to all such as lie under any affliction, and to 
those who labor in the agony and pangs of death ; 
cast an eye of compassion on the obstinate sinner, 
but particularly on the poor souls in purgatory, and 
also on those who are engaged in the holy confederacy 
of honoring and worshipping thee. Bless these in 
particular, O bountiful Heart, and bless them accord- 
ing to the extent of thy goodness, mercy, and charity. 
Amen. 



536 



DEVOTIONS TO 



A DEVOUT ASPIRATION TO THE SACKED HEART. 

MOST amiable Heart of Jesus, beloved object of 
our most tender affections, may all honor, 
glory, love, and benediction be ever given to thee. 
Be thou our comfort in adversity, our guide in pros- 
perity, our safety in dangers, and protection against 
all our enemies, visible and invisible. Amen. 

ACTS OF ADORATION. 

The ensuing four and twenty acts of adoration to Jesus 
Christ in the Blessed Sacrament may he recited hy way of 
reparation for all the offences committed against him by 
mankind. 

1. TESUS, our Lord and our God, ever adorable. O 
J that we could be present in all the churches 
throughout the universe where thou art not adored as 
thou oughtest to be. and where thy inflamed love is 
not repaid with gratitude worthy of thy majesty ! 
We fly, at least in spirit, to these holy places now 
profaned, and offer on thy altars there the fervent 
love and adoration of thy holy Mother, in compensa- 
tion for the injuries ever done thee by the Jews, by 
heretics and bad Christians. Eternal praise and 
thanksgiving be to the most holy and most divine sa- 
crament. 

2. O Jesus, true Sun, that enlightens the Church, 
and raises into a flame the hearts of thy servants, 
we adore thee; and to repair the sloth, indifference, 
and tepidity of so many thoughtless persons, who, 
though favored with the presence of so burning a 
luminary, remain cold, insensible, and inanimate, we 
offer up to thee all the inflamed desires of the ser- 
aphim. Eternal praise, &c. 

3. We adore thee, O eternal Wisdom; and to 
repair the gross ignorance which has caused us to 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



537 



offend thee, we offer up to thee all the knowledge of 
those most enlightened spirits, the cherubim. Eter- 
nal praise, &c. 

4. We adore thee, O most meek and merciful God ; 
and to repair all the sins of anger, passion, and 
revenge, highly offensive in thy sight, we offer up to 
thee the peace, mildness, and tranquillity of the 
thrones. Eternal praise, &c. 

5. We adore thee, O sacrament of love ; and to 
repair all the thoughts and criminal desires conceived 
even at the foot of thy altars, we offer up to thee all 
the pure affections and chaste desires of the domina- 
tions. Eternal praise, &c. 

6. We adore thee, O immaculate Lamb, that takest 
away the sins of the world ; and to repair all the 
irreverences, gazing at dangerous objects, and dis- 
respectful postures during the time of holy Mass, we 
offer up to thee the profound respect of the choir of 
virtues. Eternal praise, &c. 

7. We adore thee, O source and origin of all 
sanctity and innocence ; and to repair the abomina- 
tions committed by wicked priests, who consecrate 
and receive thee in the state of mortal sin, we offer 
up to thee the profound adoration and holiness of the 
powers. Eternal praise, &e. 

8. We adore thee, sovereign Lord of the universe, 
to whom all knees, both in heaven and earth, should 
bend, all reverence be paid; and in order to repair 
the many blasphemies against thy honor, we offer up 
to thee the praises and homage of the principalities. 
Eternal praise, &c. 

9. We adore thee, Saviour of the world, to whom 
all fidelity and glory is due ; and to repair the 
sacrilegious communions and treacheries of so man}' 
false consciences, we offer up to thee the fervent and 
faithful zeal of the archangels. Eternal praise, &c. 

10. We adore thee, the delight of heaven and 



538 



DEVOTIONS TO 



earth ; nnd to repair the neglect, indifference, and 

contempt which mankind show or* tliat loving invita- 
tion by which thou callest them to thy sweet embraces 
in the holy eneharist, we offer up to thee the ready 
obe lience. contempt, and happiness of the angels. 
Eternal praise, &<:. 

1 1 . We adore thee, never-failing Bounty and Good- 
ness : ai^d to repair man's offensive diffidence in thy 
tender mercy, we oner up to thee the steadfast reli- 
ance and assurance of the holy patriarchs in thy 
promises. Eternal praise, Jbc. 

12. AVe adore thee. O amiable Jesus, and revere 
the sacred mystery of the blessed eneharist. revealed 
by thy divine word. taught by the Church, and 
proved by miracles ; and to repair the doubts which 
men have had of thy real presence in the holy 
sacrament, we offer np to thee the due submission 
shown by the prophets to thy divine oracles. Eter- 
nal praise, &c, 

13; We adore thee, mo t tender and most amiable 
of all fathers : and to make reparation for the errors 
and infidelities of thy own children, we offer up to 
thee the faith of the apostles. Eternal praise. &c. 

14. We adore thee, most loving Shepherd, pattern 
of true charity : and to make reparation for the designs 
of revenge conceived in defiance of thy divine 
prohibitions, we offer up to thee the patience and 
prayers of the martyrs in favor of their persecutors. 
Eternal praim, <fec. 

15. We adore thee, inexhaustible fund of trea- 
sures : and to make reparation for ail the robberies 
committed in thy churches, we oiler up to thee the 
rich and bountiful donations of thy devout servants. 
Eternal praise. &c. 

16. We adore thee. most watchful Advocate : 
and to make reparation for the many negligences 
of those who have any authority hi the Church to 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



539 



correct the abuses and irreverences there committed 
against thee, we offer up to thee the exact attention 
and careful solicitude of holy bishops and prelates. 
Eternal praise, &c. 

17. We adore thee. O God of infinite majesty, 
whom we can never sufficiently adore and reverence ; 
and to make reparation for all the impious oaths 
pronounced against thee, we offer up to thee the 
pious discourses made in thy honor by the holy doctors 
of the Church. Eternal praise, &c. 

18. We adore thee. O hidden God : and to make 
reparation for all the contests, disputes, punctilios 
of honor, and scandal, by which thou hast been 
offended, we offer up to thee the humility of the holy 
confessors. Eternal praise, &c. 

19. "We adore thee, eternal Priest, whose delight is 
to offer sacrhice ; and to make reparation for the 
insults and affronts done to thy priests, religious, and 
virgins, we oiler up to thee thy own invincible 
patience, together with the true and fervent zeal of 
all good priests and apostolic preachers. Eternal 
praise, &c. 

20. We adore thee, true bread of angels ; and to 
make reparation for the sins committed against thy 
command of abstinence, we offer up to thee the fasts 
and temperance of the holy anchorets. Eternal 
praise, &c. 

21. We adore thee. O God of all purity: and to 
make reparation for all the sins which have hitherto 
been committed against the virtue of purity, we offer 
up to thee the modesty and penance of all holy 
reiigious men and women. Eternal praise, &c. 

22. AYe adore thee, amiable Spouse of our souls ; 
and to make reparation for all the lukewarmness and 
indifference shown by many, particularly in time of 
holy coimnunion, we offer up to thee the raptures and 
ecstasies of holy virgins. Eternal praise, &c. 



540 



DEVOTIONS TO 



23. We adore thee, most worthy object of the love 
and affection of men and angels : and to repair the 
profanations committed in thy churches by the 
effusion of so much innocent blood, as also to make 
some atonement for the poor and indigent manner 
thou art entertained there, we offer up to thee the 
piety of all the blessed saiuts. and the distress and 
want in which thy persecuted servants were. Eternal 
praise, &c. 

24. We adore thee. Son of the ever-glorious 
Virgin ; and to make a general reparation, as much 
as lies in our power, for all the indignities thou hast 
suffered from men since the institution of this adora- 
ble mystery, we have recourse to thy holy Mother, 
looking upon her as. under thee, the greatest and 
most secure refuge of sinners. Eternal praise. &c. 

Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, 
who adorest thy divine Son incessantly, we entreat 
thee. that, since we have the honor to be of the 
number of thy children, thou wouldest interest thyself 
in our behalf, and make satisfaction for us. and in 
our name, to our eternal Judge, by rendering to him 
the duties which we ourselves arc incapable of perform- 
ing. Amen. 

It would be advisable to recite tbose acts every Thursday 
or Friday. Their number corresponds to the hours of the day 
and night. In each of these hours, the most amiable heart of 
Jesus, in the eueharist, is offended and insulted throughout the 
world. This recital of the above acts is a reparation of honor 
which we make for such offences; nor can it seem too much. 
However, if. on account of other occupation*, it should appear 
so, fail not. once a month at least, and particularly on the 
feast of the S icred Heart, to acquit yourself of this duty. You 
will do well also to observe the following mo>t easy practice : 
You have, perhaps, a number of friends, and these are equally 
engaged with you in this holy devotion. Take to yourself one 
of these acts; divide the others amongst your friends; let 
each of them recite daily and offer up to God a respective 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS* 



541 



act of adoration. Nothing can be more practicable, noth- 
ing more agreeable to the amiable and offended heart of onr 
divine Saviour, or more satisfactory for so many offences 
daily committed against him. 



ROSARY OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

It is composed of Five Decades in honor of the five wounds 
of Our Lord. 

1. Tlie Method of saying it. 

ON the Cross : The prayer of St. Ignatius. 
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. 
Heart of Christ, enliven rae. 
Body of Christ, save me. 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me. 
Water flowing from the side of Christ, purify me. 
Passion of Christ, comfort me. 
O good Jesus, hear me. 
Hide me within thy wounds. 
Never permit me to be separated from thee. 
Prom the malignant enemy, defend me. 
At the hour of my death, call me, and cause me to 
come to thee, 

Whore with the saints and angels I may praise 
thee for everlasting ages. Amen. — (300 days' in- 
dulgence.) 

On the large beads, say : 

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart 
like unto thine. — (300 days' indulgence.) 

On each of the small beads, say : 

Meek Heart of Jesus, be thou my love. — (300 
days' indulgence . ) 

At the end of each decade, say : 

Sweet Heart of Mary, be thou my salvation. — (300 
days' indulgence.) 



o-±2 



DEVOTIONS TO 



Concluding, say : 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. — (100 
days' indulgence.) 

Immaculate Heart of Maiy, pray for us. — (100 
days' indulgence.) 

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us. — (100 
days' indulgence.) 

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere 
loved. — (100 days' indulgence.) 

2. Indulgences gained. 

This Rosary may be said to be a treasury of in- 
dulgences, since the prayers which compose it are so 
privileged as to require but a few moments for their 
recitation, and by saying which, with proper disposi- 
tions, we gain 20,200 days' indulgences. 

3. Other Advantages. 

There is no need of any particular set of beads, 
other than the ordinary — that of the Blessed Virgin. 
Besides which it can be said anywhere, and at any 
time, according to each one's convenience, and also 
help to enkindle devotion in our visits to the Blessed 
Sacrament. 

PROMISES MADE BY CUE LORD TO THE EL ESSE I) 
MARGARET MARY . 

IX FAVOE OF PEESOXS DEVOTED TO HIS DIVINE HEART. 

1. T \YTLL give them all the graces necessary for 
JL their state of life. 
"2. I will establish peace in their families. 

3. I will console them in all their pains and trials. 

4. I will be their assured refuge in life, and espe- 
cially in death. 

5. I will shed abundant blessings upon all their 
mideiTaMngs. 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS 



543 



6. Sinners shall find in my heart an infinite ocean 
of mercy. 

7. Lukewarm souls will be rendered fervent. 

8. Fervent souls shall rise rapidly to greater per- 
fection. 

9. I will bless those houses where the image of my 
heart shall be exposed and honored. 

10. I will give to priests the talent of moving the 
hardest hearts. 

11. Persons who propagate this devotion, shall 
have their names inscribed in my heart, and they 
shall never be effaced from it. 

Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me. — (50 days' in- 
dulgence.) 

Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have mercy on the 
dying. — (100 days' indulgence.) 

A XOVEXA* TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

All who are impressed with an affectionate love for the 
adorable heart of Jesus, and share in its afflictions on account 
of the ingratitude of mankind, are invited to perform these 
nine days' devotions, to make some atonement : 1st, for sins 
committed by their parents, relations, and families; 2d, for 
sins committed by the congregation of which they are mem- 
bers; 3d, for their own particular sins, and the faults of those 
whom Providence has placed over them, in order to teach and 
conduct them in the way of salvation. It is also recommended 
to pious Christians to make this Xovena frequently during the 
year, in order to make some atonement for the great ingrati- 
tude done to Jesus Christ in the blessed eucharist. 

Kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, or a picture of the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, endeavor to divest your soul of all 
worldly concerns, let your attention be fixed on his inflamed 
heart, and, making the sign of the cross, say the following 
prayer : 

* This Xovena should be commenced so as to end on the eve of the first 
Friday of the month. Make a spiritual communion, if unable to make a sacra- 
mental communion, adding thereto an act of reparation and intimate union of 
the heart of Jesus with the heavenly Father. 



544 



DEVOTIONS TO 



O SACRED Heart of my clear Redeemer, I adore 
thee with all the powers of my soul ; I conse- 
crate them forever to thee, with each of my thoughts, 
words, actions, and my whole being. I offer to thee, 
O divine Heart, all those acts of adoration, love, and 
glory which thou didst render to tlry eternal Father 
whilst in this mortal life. Be thou the repairer of my 
deficiencies, the protector of my life, my refuge and 
security at the hour of my death. Grant me, through 
the merits of that anguish and bitterness which for 
me thou hast suffered through the whole course of 
thy mortal life, a perfect contrition for my sins. 
Grant me a constant disgust of all worldly allure- 
ments, an ardent desire of eternal gloiy, and a lively 
hope of partaking of tin' infinite merits. 
• O most loving Heart of Jesus, I present to thee 
these my humble supplications, not for myself only, 
but for all those whom I earnestly recommend to thee 
in this No vena. 

It is my ardent wish, O my dearest Lord, that all 
may join me in spirit to serve and obey thee. Accept 
these my humble 'petitions, and graciously grant my 
request through thy infinite mercy. Impress us, O 
Lord, with due sentiments of gratitude for the benefi- 
cent tenderness of thy divine Heart to us forlorn sin- 
ners. Receive us in the yet gaping wound of that 
loving Heart, that in it we ma}' admire thy divine 
attributes, practise thy heavenly virtues, find the 
effect of thy sacred passion, and our poor, afflicted 
souls be thereby encouraged to shelter themselves 
within thy sacred wounds. 

AX ACT OF REPARATION OF HONOR. 

O HE ART of Jesus, infinitely merciful, ever de- 
sirous to communicate thy divine love to our 
cold hearts, tlry delight is to remain forever with the 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 545 

children of men. For this reason, O amiable Ee- 
deemer, thou hast instituted a peculiar sacrament of 
love, in which we might find the treasure and source 
of all heavenly blessings, through which we might 
enter into the sanctuary of thy inflamed heart, and 
there meet with secure repose in life, and sweet com- 
fort in death. With these most bountiful dispositions, 
thou hast vouchsafed to reside on our altars, to be 
our constant sacrifice, in order to avert the anger of 
thy eternal Father, excited by our repeated sins. 
Hither thou continually invitest us to come, and par- 
take of this heavenly food, which none but an infinite 
love could have prepared. What is there thou couldest 
have done to gain the heart of tlry people, and hast 
not done? But how insensible, O bountiful Redeem- 
er, have we been of those great blessings and favors ! 
We have shown irreverence, disrespect, and even 
contempt before thy divine majesty, in whose pres- 
ence the saints and angels bend with awe, and the 
heavens themselves tremble. Whilst offered on our 
altars, the same offences, the same indignity and in- 
gratitude, are committed by those very people who 
have often been fed at thy sacred table, nourished 
with thy own substance, and on whom thou hast 
placed the love of thy heart. 

O amiable Heart of my dearest Saviour, who can 
express thy affliction at the sight of such ingratitude ? 
But how long, sweet Jesus, will thy adorable heart 
be thus despised and contemned by wicked man? 
How long wilt thou permit thyself to be betrayed into 
the hands of thy mortal enemies? How long wilt 
thou suffer their scorn and contempt of thy majesty 
in the adorable sacrament of the altar? Sorely 
afflicted at the thought of these injustices and sac- 
rileges, I cast nryself with all humility at the throne 
of thy mercy. Graciously hear, sweet Jesus, thy ser- 
vant, who, in behalf of the whole Church, here presents 
35 



546 



DEVOTIONS TO 



to thee thy own adorable heart, inflamed with love for 

these thy persecutors, and praying for thy enemies : 
" Father, forgive them, for they know not what 
they do." 

Most merciful Heart of Jesus, propitiously hear the 
uninterrupted supplications of thy saints and angels, 
of thy holy martyrs and confessors, in atonement for 
these repeated insults and injuries, while, in satisfac- 
tion for the same, I offer the following tribute of 
reparation on my own and their part. 

Here say any five acts you please of the four and twenty, 
beginning page 536. 

AN OBLATION 

OF THE SACRED HEART AND SUFFERINGS OF JESUS CHRIST 
TO HIS ETERNAL FATHER, IN SATISFACTION FOR OFFENCES 
COM MITTED. 

ALMIGHTY and eternal Father, permit me to 
offer thee the Sacred Heart of thy dearest Son, 
inflamed with the love of thee, and wounded with the 
love of us. Eeeeive, O merciful Father, this divine 
heart pleading for us through that ready obedience to 
thy hoi}' will by which he subjected himself on earth 
to all our miseries, pains, and afflictions. Receive, 
in satisfaction for our sins, that love of his sacred 
heart which caused him to undergo for us that cruel 
flagellation at the pillory, that tormenting crown of 
thorns. Receive that divine heart which, through 
love of us, embraced the heayy cross, and bore its 
weight to Mount Calvary. Receive, O eternal Fa- 
ther, that most inflamed and humble heart of Jesus, 
which, through love of us, laid itself on the hard wood 
of the cross, and offered its sacred hands and feet to 
cruel executioners, to be transpierced with iron nails. 
Behold, O heavenly Father, this sacrifice of love, 
offered to thee for us poor sinners in the heart of thy 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



547 



dear Son ; it is wounded, it bleeds, it expires, through 
the infinite love it has for us. M} T God, if we have 
offended thee, will not the sight of this heart suffice 
to appease thy anger ? Receive it, O merciful Father, 
in atonement for our man}' offences ; it is most worthy 
of thy love and everlasting complacenc}'. Amen. 

Then conclude the Novena by the following prayer : 

MOST amiable Heart of Jesus, beloved object of 
our most tender affections, imry all honor, 
glory, love, and benediction be ever given to thee. 
Be thou our comfort in adversity, our guide in pros- 
perhy, our safety in dangers, and protection against 
all our enemies, visible and invisible. Amen. 

OS ACRED and adorable Heart of Jesus, furnace 
of eternal charity, ocean of infinite mercyy, con- 
solation of the afflicted, refuge of sinners, and hope 
of the whole world, I most fervently adore thee, and 
unite my heart, my affections, and supplications to 
the perpetual homage thou thyself, on our altar, ren- 
derest to thy eternal Father. 

Most amiable Heart, which hast loved us with an 
eternal love, supply what is wanting in my love, and 
receive my desire, at least, of loving thee with all the 
ardor and sincerity thou so justly meritest. But 
remember, O adorable Heart, that thou hast not dis- 
closed thyself to us only as an object of our adora- 
tions ; thou desirest much more to engage our love, 
and to become the ground and tender motive of our 
loving confidence. For this end thou wert pierced 
through with a lance on the cross, and for the same 
purpose thou remainest a daily victim of thy own love 
on our altars. O infinitely compassionate Heart of 
Jesus, which was overwhelmed with sorrow in the 
Garden of Olives, at the view of our spiritual and cor- 



548 



DEVOTIONS TO 



poral miseries. I recur to thee now with all the confi- 
dence thou desirest I should repose in the extent of 
thy power and the riches of thy mercy. Convinced 
that those things which are impossible to human 
means are infinitely easy to thee, and relying with an 
humble, steadfast faith on the sacred words of truth 
itself, that whatever we ask the Father in the name 
of Jesus should be granted. I now most humbly 
implore, in that adorable name, in virtue of that 
promise, and through the abundant mercies of the 
sacred heart of Jesus, the particular favor I petition 
for in this Xovena. 

Specify it. 

O blessed St. Gertrude, and all ye glorious servants 
of C hrist, who. while on earth, were particularly de- 
voted to the sacred heart of Jesus, join your prayers 
with mine, and implore the object of the petition 
which I now make, and specially otter up through 
3'our intercession. Beg likewise from this adorable 
Heart, which has dominion over all hearts, and could 
in a moment change the most obdurate, to have com- 
passion on those who are in the dreadful state of 
mortal sin, and to open to us all the treasures of its 
mercy at the hour of our death. Amen. 

INVOCATIONS TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

FIRE of the heart of Jesus, Inflame my heart. 
Charity of the heart of Jesus, Fill my heart. 
Strength of the heart of Jesus, Sustain my heart. 
Mercy of the heart of Jesus, Pardon my heart. 
Patience of the heart of Jesus, Forsake not my 
heart. 

Reign of the heart of Jesus, Establish thyself in 
my heart. 

Wisdom of the heart of Jesus, Teach my heart. 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



549 



Will of the heart of Jesus, Dispose of my heart. 
Zeal of the heart of Jesus, Absorb my heart. 

Irnrnaculate Virgin, pray for us to the heart of 
Jesus, 

Adorable Trinity, we thank thee for all the graces 
with which thou hast loaded thy servant, the Blessed 
Margaret Mary ; and beg through her intercession 
for the favors we hope to obtain through this Xovena. 

PRAYER OF THE BLESSED MARGARET MARY. 

ETERXAL FATHER, suffer me to offer thee the 
heart of Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, as he 
himself offered it in sacrifice to thee. Receive this 
offering for me, as well as all the desires, sentiments, 
affections, movements, and acts of this sacred heart. 
They are all mine, since he offered himself for me, 
and henceforth I wish to have no other desires but 
his. Receive them in satisfaction for my sins, and in 
thanksgiving for all thy benefits. Grant me through 
his merits all the graces necessary for my salvation, 
especially that of final perseverance. Receive them 
as so many acts of love, adoration, and praise, which 
I offer to thy divine Majesty, since it is through the 
heart of Jesus that thou art worthily honored and 
glorified. Amen. 



550 



DEVOTIONS TO 



LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Jesus, hear us. 
Jesus, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, 
God the Son. Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 

Jesus, whose merciful heart is substantially 

united to thy divinity. 
Jesus, whose pure heart is the temple of the 

blessed Trinity, 
Jesus, whose heart is the principle and centre of 

all perfect affections, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is so great 

that no man can ever comprehend it. 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is so great 

that neither the angels nor saints shall ever 

understand it. 
Jesus, the love of whose heart extends itself 

even to the greatest sinners, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart rejoices all the 

Church triumphant. 
Jesus, the love of whose heart consoles and sus- 
tains all the Church militant. 
Jesus, the love of whose heart comforts and de- 
livers the Church suffering, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us comprises 

all possible love, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is that of 

a true friend. 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is that of 

the most generous benefactor. 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



551 



Jesus, the love of Trhose heart for us is that of 

a brother and sister, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is that of 

a true spouse, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is that of 

the fondest of parents, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us is that of 

a Creator and a Saviour, 
Jesus, the love of whose heart for us infinitely 

surpasses all created love, 
Heart of Jesus, plunged in a mortal sorrow in 

the Garden of Olives, at the consideration of 

our ingratitude, 
Heart of Jesus, pierced on the cross by a cruel 

lance. 

Heart of Jesus, from whence issued the holy 
Church, thy Spouse, as Eve was taken from 
the side of the sleeping Adam, 
Heart of Jesus, adored from the first by thy sor- 
rowful Mother, 
Heart of Jesus, adored by the beloved disciples, 
Heart of Jesus, adored by Magdalen, 
Heart of Jesus, adored hy those who laid thee 

in the sepulchre, 
Heart of Jesus, adored by a multitude of heaven- 
ly spirits, 

Heart of Jesus, adored by thy apostle Saint 
Thomas, 

Heart of Jesus, adored by all thy apostles and 
disciples, 

Heart of Jesus, triumphant and glorious at the 
right hand of tlry eternal Father, 

Heart of Jesus, adored by all the heavenly court, 

Heart of Jesus, living and glorious, though con- 
cealed in the divine Eucharist, 

Heart of Jesus, adored on our altars by all the 
true friends of God, 



552 



DEVOTIONS TO 



Heart of Jesus, despised and unworthily pro- 1 
faned in the holy Eucharist, 

Heart of Jesus, cruelly outraged by Jews, here- 
tics, and bad Christians, 

Heart of Jesus, ocean of goodness and abyss of 
mercy. 

Heart of Jesus, impregnable fortress of all those 

who seek refuge in thee, 
Heart of Jesus, inexhaustible source of all graces 

and blessings, 
Heart of Jesus, more brilliant than the sun, more 

beautiful and perfect than all creatures, 
Jesus, by the sorrows of thy adorable heart, ^ 

grant us the perfect contrition of our sins : 
Jesus, by the wound and blood of thy divine 

heart, grant us grace to begin a holy life, and 

to persevere therein till death : 
Jesus, by the ineffable joys of thy tender heart, 

comfort us in our trials : 
Jesus, by the infinite love which inflamed thy 

heart, grant us an increasing love until death : 
Jesus, grant that we may always dwell in thy in- 
finitely loving heart : 
Jesus, help us by thy power to conform our [ 

hearts to thine : 
Jesus, unite our hearts to thine during life and 

in eternity : 

Jesus, so strengthen the union of our hearts with 
thine that we may be always ready to lose and 
to suffer all things, rather than offend thee : 

Jesus, inflame us with a holy zeal for thy glory, 
the triumph of thy Church, and the salvation of 
souls : 

Jesus, give us a firm and prudent zeal for over- \ 

coming evil with good : 
Lamb of God. who takest away the sins of the wor 

Pardon us. Jesus. 



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 



553 



Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Hear us, Jesus. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Have mercy on us, Jesus. 
Jesus hear us ; Jesus graciously hear us. 



PRAYER OF ST. ALPHOXSE/S DE LIGUORI TO THE 
SACRED HEART. 

O ADORABLE Heart of Jesus, heart created ex- 
pressly for the love of men ! Until now I have 
shown towards thee only ingratitude. Pardon me, 
O my Jesus. Heart of my Jesus, abyss of love and 
of mercy, how is it possible that I do not die of sor- 
row when I reflect on thy goodness to me and my 
ingratitude to thee? Thou, my Creator, after having 
created me. hast given thy blood and thy life for me ; 
and. not content with this, thou hast invented a 
means of offering thyself up every day for me in the 
holy Eucharist, exposing thyself to a thousand in- 
sults and outrages. Ah. Jesus, do thou wound my 
heart with a great contrition for my sins, and a lively 
love for thee. Through thy tears and thy blood give 
me the grace of perseverance in thy fervent love 
until I breathe my last sigh. Amen. 



554 



NO VENA TO THE INFANT JESUS. 



A NOVENA TO THE IXFAXT JESUS. 

This Xovena is usually made daring the nine days preceding 
Christmas, to prepare for the coming of Christ, and to obtain 
some particular favor. 

Being fully recollected in spirit, and respectfully kneeling 
before the altar or picture of the nativity of our Lord, you 
will address the following petition to our blessed Lady and St. 
Joseph, beginning with the sign of the cross : 

FETTTI* >N. 

OMOST sacred Virgin, and Messed St. Joseph, 
obtain for us the grace to perform this Novena 
with such attention, devotion, and ardent charity, as 
will entitle us to join the angels in rendering glory to 
God. Amen. 

Let us say twelve TTail Marys, in remembrance of the care 
and solicitude shown by our blessed Lady towards the infant 
Jesus, till his twelfth year. Hail Mary. ,\v. 

Let us say three Our Fathers, in honor of the three years 
of our Lord's infancy. Our Father. $c* 

Let us make three aspirations, to incline the infant Jesus to 
turn his favorable attention on us. 

O DIVINE Infant of Bethlehem, whom we adore 
and acknowledge to be our sovereign Lord, come 
and take birth in our hearts. Amen. 

O IXFAXT Jesus, grant that each moment of our 
lives we may pa y homage to that moment in which 
thou didst begin the work of our salvation. Amen. 

O SACRED Mother of our infant Saviour, obtain 
that we may so prepare ourselves for his com- 
ing, as not to be separated from him for all eter- 
nity. Amen. 



LITANY OF THE INFANT JESUS. 



555 



Let us pray. 

MOST holy Infant Jesus, true God and true man, 
our Saviour and Kedeerner, with all earnestness 
and respect we beseech thee, by that charity, humility, 
and bounty, which thou didst display in thy infancy, 
graciously undertaken for the love of us, that thou 
vouchsafe to grant us the favor we now beg, if it be 
for the honor of God and our salvation. Amen. 

Here each one will petition in spirit the particular favor he 
wishes to obtain. (Pause for a short time.) 

O most amiable Infant Jesus, we are most unworthy 
to be heard in this our petition ; but thy holy Mother, 
the Virgin Mary, and the great St. Joseph, thy foster- 
father while on earth, are worthy to be heard solicit- 
ing in our behalf. Then, O divine Infant, being 
mindful of their most sublime merits, especially those 
they acquired during the time they served thee in thy 
infancy in Bethlehem, thy flight into Egypt, and thy 
childhood at Nazareth, vouchsafe to grant our request, 
and give us grace to promote the honor of thy omnip- 
otent infancy, to serve thee with fidelity, as domestic 
servants, ail the days of our lives, and to obtain a 
happy death, assisted in that last hour by the Blessed 
Virgin and St. Joseph, whose zeal for thy honor will 
lead us to praise and bless thy divine mercies forever 
and ever. Amen. 



LITANY OF THE INFANT JESUS. 

LOED, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mere}' on us. 
Lord, have mere}' on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 



556 



LIT ANY OF THE INFANT JESUS 



God the Father of heaven. 
God the Son. Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 
Infant Jesns Christ, 
Infant, true God, 
Infant, Son of the living God, 
Infant, Son of the Virgin Mary, 
Infant, begotten before the day star, 
Infant, the Word made flesh. 
Infant, the wisdom of thy Father, 
Infant, the integrity of thy Mother. 
Infant, the only-begotten of thy Father, 
Infant, the first-born of thy Mother, 
Infant, the image of thy Father. 
Infant, the origin of thy Mother. 
Infant, the brightness of thy Father, 
Infant, the honor of thy Mother, 
Infant, equal to thy Father. 
Infant, subject to thy Mother, 
Infant, the delight of thy Father, 
Infant, the riches of thy Mother, 
Infant, the gift of thy Father. 
Infant, the treasure of thy Mother, 
Infant, the Creator of man. 
Infant, the fruit of a Virgin, 
Infant, the virtue of God. 
Infant, the companion of man, 
Infant, our God. 
Infant, our Brother. 

Infant. Pilgrim on earth, yet in the fruition of glory. 
Infant, possessed of heavenly bliss, yet in the 

pilgrimage of mortality. 
Infant, a perfect man from thy Mother's womb. 
Infant, endowed with the wisdom of old age from 

thy childhood. 
Infant, the Father of ages, 



LIT AX Y OF THE INFANT JESUS. 

Infant, of a few days. 

Infant, life in want of food. 

Infant, the YVord reduced to silence. 

Infant, crying in the crib. 

Infant, thundering in heaven. 

Infant, the terror of hell, 

Infant, the joy of paradise. 

Infant, formidable to tyrants. 

Infant, desired by the wise men, 

Infant, exiled from thy people, 

Infant, king in thy exile. 

Infant, the overthrow er of idols. 

Infant, zealous for thy Father's glory, 

Infant, strong in thy weakness. 

Infant, powerful in thy littleness, 

Infant, treasure of grace. 

Infant, light of glory, 

Infant, fountain of love. 

Infant, source of sanctity. 

Infant, the restorer of lost heaven, 

Infant, the repairer of the earth, 

Infant, the head of angels. 

Infant, the root of patriarchs. 

Infant, the word of the prophets, 

Infant, the desire of nations. 

Infant, the joy of the shepherds, 

Infant, the light of the sages. 

Infant, the salvation of the infants, 

Infant, the expectation of the just, 

Infant, the teacher of the wise. 

Infant, the first-fruit of all saints. 

Be merciful ; spare us. Infant Jesus. 

Be merciful ; hear us. Infant Jesus. 

From the yoke of slavery weighing on the 

dren of Adam. 
From the captivity of the devil. 
From the wickedness of the world, 



558 



LITANY OF THE INFANT JESUS. 



From the concupiscence of the flesh, 
From the pride of life. 
From inordinate curiosity, 

From blindness of mind, ^ 
From a perverse will, ^ 
From our sins, ^ 
Through thy most pure conception, ^ 
Through thy most humble birth, 2 
Through thy tears, > Jo 

Through thy most painful circumcision. ^ 
Through thy most glorious manifestation. §: 
Through thy most devout presentation. 3 
Through thy most innocent conversation, ^ 
Through thy most divine life, ? 
Through thy poverty. 
Through thy sufferings, 
Through thy travels and labors. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

spare us, O Infant Jesus. 
Lamb of God. who takest away the sins of the world, 

hear us. Infant Jesus. 
Lamb of God. who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us. O Infant Jesus. 
Jesus Infant, hear us. 
Jesus Infant, graciously hear us. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD JESUS, who hast vouchsafed to debase 
the sublimity of thy incarnate divinity and of 
thy most divine humanity to the humble state of birth 
and infancy, mercifully grant, that, acknowledging 
thy divine wisdom in thy infancy, thy power in thy 
weakness, thy majesty in thy littleness, we may adore 
thee little and debased on earth, and behold thee great 
and exalted in heaven, who livest and reignest. world 
without end. Amen. 

May the Infant Jesus Christ hear us, now and for- 
ever. Amen. 



IN HONOR OF THE NAME OF JESUS. 



559 



NO YE X A IN HONOR OF THE NAME OF JESUS. 

O MERCIFUL Jesus, who didst in early infancy 
commence thy office of Saviour, by shedding 
thy precious blood, and assuming for us that name 
which is above all names, we thank thee for such early 
proofs of thy infinite love ; we venerate thy sacred 
name, in union with the profound respect of the angel 
who first announced it to the earth, and unite our 
affections to the sentiments of tender devotion which 
the adorable name of Jesus has, in all ages, enkin- 
dled in the hearts of thy servants. 

Animated with a firm faith in thy unerring word, 
and penetrated with confidence in thy mercy, we now 
most humbly remind thee of the promise thou hast 
made, that, when two or three should assemble in thy 
name, thou thyself wouldest be in the midst of them. 
Come, then, into the midst of us, most amiable Jesus, 
for it is in thy sacred name we are here assembled. 
Come into our hearts, that thy Holy Spirit may pray 
in and by us ; and mercifully grant us, through that 
adorable name which is the joy of heaven, the terror 
of hell, the consolation of the afflicted, and the solid 
ground of our unlimited confidence, all the petitions 
we make in this No vena. 

O Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ! be thou a Jesus to me. O 
Jesus, name of greatness and of power ; name of 
mercy and of love ; may the potent efficacy of thy 
holy name put to flight the enemies of my soul ; may 
its sweetness penetrate and melt my heart ; may it 
ever be imprinted on my imagination, and engraven 
on my memory. May I, while in health, find it my 
sweetest occupation to pronounce it ; in sickness, my 
best consolation to invoke it ; and in death may thy 
holy name, dearest Jesus, be the last word which 
my lips shall speak. 



560 



NOYENA TO 



O blessed Mother of our Redeemer, who didst par- 
ticipate so sensibly in the sufferings of tlvy dear Son, 
when he shed his sacred blood and assumed for us 
the name of Jesus, obtain for us, through that adora- 
ble name, the favors we petition in this no vena. Beg, 
also, that the most ardent love may imprint on our 
hearts that sacred name ; that it may be always in 
our minds, and frequently on our lips ; that it may be 
our defence in temptations, and our refuge in danger 
during our lives, and our consolation and support in 
the hour of death. Amen, 



SPIRIT of Wisdom , who like fire sweepest from 



the heart of man all the dross of earthly affec- 
tions, as thou didst all the old imperfections from the 
hearts of the apostles, so vouchsafe to destroy in ours 
all those less holy affections that have predominated 
there to this hour, so that in future we may relish no 
other pleasure than that of being fervent in thy divine 
service. Gloria. 

2. Spirit of Understanding, who openest the most 
obtuse minds to fill them with all heavenly knowledge, 
scatter in mercy the dark shades by which we are 
incumbered, and making us know all things by their 
appearance, but especially the sublimity and excellence 
of all the divine mysteries, grant us to reject promptly 
every doubt injurious to faith, and to be ever disposed 
in all things to defend and exalt it. Gloria. 

3. Spirit of Counsel, from whom alone come the 
lights indispensable to free us from all perplexity and 
to conform to what is most useful and most secure, 
be thou by thy coming the special director of our 
souls j so that in our determinations we may have 



ISO YEN A TO THE HOLY GHOST. 




THE HOLY GHOST. 



561 



naught else in view but the perfect accomplishment 
of thy sovereign will, to which we unite ourselves 
henceforward inseparably and forever. Gloria. 

4. Spirit of Fortitude, by which alone we triumph 
completely over the pomps of the world, the flatteries 
of the flesh, and the suggestions of the devil, as thou 
didst render all the martyrs of Christendom inflexible 
to the most flattering promises and most cruel 
torments, grant to us all grace to be ever completely 
victorious over all our enemies, and constantly to 
despise all human respect so as henceforward to glory 
only in our Lord crucified. Gloria. 

5. Spirit of Knowledge, by whom alone we know 
the vanity of all human knowledge, open our minds 
to that divine science which is called the science of 
the Saints, in order that we may know our sins to 
detect them, our duties to fulfil them, our faults to 
correct them, the vanity of earth to despise it. the 
greatness of heaven to aspire continually after it. 
Gloria. 

6. Spirit of Piety, in whom alone all the faithful 
form one heart and one soul, and the exercises of 
Christian devotion become a common delight, grant us 
all grace ever to love all our brethren from our hearts, 
without ever growing cold for their inattention or 
unacknowledgment, and to be ever solicitous to 
practise whatever pious exercises which characterize 
a man dead to the world and living only to God. 
Gloria. 

7. Spirit of Holy Fear, by which we fear on this 
earth.no displeasure but God's, and thence esteem no 
good but Ms grace, fly no evil but sin. never suffer us 
by any human fear to abandon the path of holiness, 
but make us so courageous as fearless to mock all the 
world's wrath so as ever more fervently to work out 
our eternal salvation. 

36 



562 



TO THE HOLY GHOST. 



PRAYERS TO THE HOLY GHOST. 

O DIVINE breathing of the Holy Spirit, make 
thyself felt in my soul ; awaken it from the 
lethargy in which it lies ; shake off the languor in 
which it is sunk ; bear away the dust that adheres 
to all I do ; work in me every change that thou 
knowest to be necessary to me, O divine Paraclete ; 
give me one of those tongues of light, of charity, 
of perfection, which descended on the Apostles, that 
I may thereby bless thy name, confess my sins, teach 
with love, answer with meekness, be silent when 
becoming, and edif} T in all things. And you, O holy 
Apostles, who on the solemn da}' of Pentecost did 
receive unto fulness the spirit of unity and sanctity, 
obtain for us also so signal a gift, that, believing all 
the truths that you have taught, practising all the 
works that you have recommended, living and dying 
in the Church which you have founded, I may attain 
with you the blessed and eternal recompense which 
you have taught us to ask and hope. Amen. 

OHOLY GHOST, father of the poor and com- 
forter of the afflicted, come and descend upon 
us. Illumine us with thy light, govern us with thy 
wisdom, sanctify us by thy love, animate us with thy 
grace, sustain us with thy strength, penetrate us with 
thy unction, adopt us as sons by thy charity, make 
us peaceful by thy presence, save us by thy infinite 
mercy, and lift us up from earth to heaven, that we 
may praise thee, bless thee, and love thee for all 
eternity. 

Veni Creator Spiritus, p. 398. 



DEVOTIONS 

TO 

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MART. 



LITTLE OFFICE OF THE IMMACULATE CON- 
CEPTION. 

[The text, from which the present translation has been 
made, is an exact copy of the office as published by authority 
at Rome, in 1838. Vide Casleste Palmetum, page 243.] 



AT MATINS. 

EIA, mea labia, nunc an- Come, my lips, and wide pro- 

nuntiate claim 

Laudes et praeconia Yirginis ' The blessed Virgin's spotless 

beatse. fame. 



V. Domina, in aclju- 
torium meum intende. 

R. Me de manu hos- 
tium potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri. Al- 
leluia. 



T 7 *. O Lady, make 
speed to befriend me. 

R. From the hands of 
the enemy mightily defend 
me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, &c. Alleluia. 



From Septuagesima to Easter, instead of Alleluia, is said : 

Laus tibi, Domine, Rex Praise be to thee, O 
aeternae glorias. Lord, King of everlasting 

glory. 

563 



564 



DEVOTIONS TO 



HYMN. 



SALVE, mundi Domina, 
Coelorum Regina : 
Salve, Virgo virginum, 
Stella matutina. 

Salve, plena gratia, 
Clara luce divina : 
Mundi in auxilium, 
Domina, festina. 

Ab aeterno Dominus 
Te praeordmavit 
Matrem unigeniti 
Verbi, quo creavit. 

Terrain, pontum, aethera : 
Te pulchram ornavit 
Sibi Sponsam, qua? in 
Adam non peccavit. 

Amen. 

V. Elegit earn Deus, 
et praeelegit earn. 

JR. In tabernaculo suo 
habitare fecit earn. 

V. Domina, exandi 
orationem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad 
te veniat. 

Or emus. 

SANCTA Maria, Re- 
gina coelorum. mater 
Domini nostri JesuC hri sti . 
et mundi Domina. quae 
nullum derelinquis. et nul- 
lum despicis : respice me. 
Domina, clementer oculo 



Hail. Queen of the heavens, 
Hail, Mistress of earth, 
Hail. Virgin most pure, 
Of immaculate birth. 

Clear star of the morning, 
In beauty enshrined. 
O Lady, make speed 
To the help of mankind. 

Thee God in the depth 
Of eternity chose 1 , 
And formed thee all fair 
As his glorious Spouse ; 

And called thee his Word's 
Own Mother to be, 
By whom he created 
The earth, sky, and sea. 

Amen. 

God elected her, 
and preelected her. 

JR. He made her to 
dwell in his tabernacle. 

V. O Lady, hear my 
prayer. 

JR. And let my cry 
come unto thee. 

Let us prav. 

Holy Mary. Queen of 
heaven. Mother of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and 
Mistress of the world, 
who forsakest no one, 
and despisest no one, 
look upon me, O Lady. 



THE BLESSED VTRGIN MAEY. 



565 



pietatis, et impetra mihi 
apud tiram dilectum Fi- 
lium cunctorum veiiiam 
peccatoruni : ut qui nunc 
tuam sanctam et immacu- 
latam conceptionem de- 
votoafrectu reeolo, seternse 
in futurum beatitudinis 
bravium capiam, ipso, 
quern virgo peperisti, do- 
nante Domino nostro Jesu 
Christo ; qui cum Patre 
et Sancto Spiritu vivit 
et regnat, in Trinitate 
perfecta Deus in specula 
sseculorum. Amen. 



V. Domina, exaudi 
orationem me am. 

JB. Et clamor meus ad 
te veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Do- 
mino. 

it. Deo gratias. 
V. Fidelium animse 
per misericordiam Dei 
requiescant in pace. 

It. Amen. 



with an eye of pity, and 
entreat for me, of thy 
beloved Son, the forgive- 
ness of all my sins ; that, 
as I now celebrate with 
devout affection thy holy 
and immaculate concep- 
tion, so, hereafter, I may 
receive the prize of eter- 
nal blessedness, by the 
grace of Him whom thou, 
in virginity, didst bring 
forth, Jesus Christ our 
Lord, who, with the Fa- 
ther and the Holy Ghost, 
liveth and reigneth, in per- 
fect Trinity, God, world 
without end. Amen. 

V. O Ladj^, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry 
come unto thee. 

V. Let us bless the 
Lord. 

H. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of 
the faithful, through the 
mercy of God, rest in 
peace. 

Ii. Amen. 



566 



DEVOTIONS TO 



AT PRIME. 



V. Domina, in adjuto- 
rium meum intende. 

R. Me cle maim hos- 
tium potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri. Al- 
leluia. 



V. Lady, make speed 
to befriend me. 

R. From the hands of 
the enemy mightily defend 
me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, &c. Alleluia. 



HYMN. 



SALVE, Virgo sapiens, 
Domus Deo dicata, 
Columna septemplici 
Mensaque exornata. 

Ab omni contagio 
Mundi praeservata: 
Ante sancta in utero 
Parentis, quam nata. 

Tu, Mater viventium, 
Et porta es sanctorum : 
Nova stella Jacob, 
Domina angelorum. 



Hail, Virgin most wise, 
Hail, Deity's shrine, 
With seven fair pillars, 
And table divine. 

Preserved from the guilt 
Which hath come on us all ; 
Exempt, in the womb, 
From the taint of the fall. 

O new star of Jacob, 
Of angels the Queen, 
O gate of the saints, 
O mother of men. 



Zabulo terribilis 
Acies castrorum : 
Portus et refugium 
Sis Christianorum. 

Amen. 



O terrible as 
Th' embattled array, 
Be thou of the faithful 
The refuge and stay. 

Amen. 



J 7 ". Ipse creavit illam 
in Spiritu Sancto. 

R. Et effudit illam 
inter omnia opera sua. 

I 7 ". Domina, exaudi, 
etc., [p. 565, cum ora- 
tione ut supra. J 



V. The Lord himself 
created her in the Hol\ r 
Ghost. 

R. And poured her out 
among all his works. 

T 7 ". O Lady, hear, &c, 
[with the prayer and 
versicles, as at page 565.] 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



567 



AT TERCE. 



V. Domina, in adjuto- 
riuin meum intende. 

JR. Me de manu hos- 
tiuin potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri. Al- 
leluia. 



V. Lady , make speed 
to befriend me. 

JR. From the hands of 
the enemy mightily defend 
me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, &c. Alleluia. 



HYMN. 



SALVE, area foederis, 
Thronus Salomonis, 
Arcus pulcher setheris, 
Rubus visionis : 

Virga frondens germinis : 
Vellus Gedeonis : 
Porta elausa numinis, 
Favusque Samsonis. 

Decebat tam nobilem 
Natum, praecavere 
Ab originali 
Labe Matris Evae. 

Almam, quam elegerat, 
Genitricem vere, 
Nulli prorsus sinens 
Culpae subjaeere. 

Amen. 



Hail, Solomon's throne, 
Pure ark of the law, 
Fair rainbow and bush, 
Which the patriarch saw. 

Hail, Gedeon's fleece, 
Hail, blossoming rod, 
Samson's sweet honeycomb, 
Portal of God. 

Well fitting it was, 
That a Son so divine 
Should preserve from all touch 
Of original sin, 

Nor suffer by smallest 
Defect to be stained, 
That Mother, whom he 
For himself had ordained. 

Amen. 



V. Ego in altissimis V. I dwell in the high- 

habito. est. 

M. Et thronus metis in H. And my throne is 

columna nubis. on the pillar of the clouds. 

V. Domina, exaudi, V. O Lady, hear, &c, 

etc., [p. 565, cum ora- [with the pra^'er and 

tione ut supra.] versicles, as at page 565.] 



568 



DEVOTIONS TO 



AT i 

V. Domina, in adju- 
toriura meum intende. 

R. Me de manu hos- 
tiuni potenter defende. 

V. Gloria PatrL Al- 
leluia. 



V. O Lady, make speed 
to befriend me. 

R. From the hands of 
the enemy mightily de- 
fend me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther ^ &c. Alleluia. 



HYMN. 



SALVE, Virgo puerpera, 
Teniplum Trinitatis, 
Angelorum gaudium, 
Ceil a puritatls : 

Solamen mcerentium, 
1 tortus voluptatis : 
Pal ma patientiae, 
Cedrus castitatis. 

Terra es benedicta 
Et sacerdotalis, 
Sanota et im munis 
Culpa? originalis. 

Ci vitas altissimi, 
Porta orientalis : 
In te est on mis gratia, 
Virgo singularis. 

Araen. 



Hail, virginal Mother; 
Hail, purity's cell, 
Fair shrine where the Trinity 
Lovetli to dwell. 

Hail, garden of pleasure, 
Celestial balm, 
Cedar of chastity, 
Martyrdom's palm. 

Thou land set apart 
From uses profane, 
And free from the curse 
Which in Adam began, 

Thou city of God, 
Thou gate of the east, 
In thee is all grace, 
O joy of the blessed. 

Amen. 



T 7 ". Sicut lilium inter V. As the lily among 

spinas. the thorns. 

R. Sic arnica mea inter R. So is my beloved 

filias Adas. among the daughters of 

Adam. 

V. Domina, exaudi, V. O Lady, hear, &c, 

etc., [p. 565, cum ora- [with the prayer and ver- 

tione ut supra. J sides, as at page 5 65. J 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



569 



AT NONE. 



Y. Domina, in adju- 
torium meum intende. 

R. Me de maim hos- 
tium potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri. Al- 
leluia. 



T 7 ". O Lady, make speed 
to befriend me. 

i?. From the hands of 
the enemy mightily de- 
fend me. 

F. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, &c. Alleluia. 



HYMN. 



SALVE, urbs refugii, 
Turrisque munita 
David, propugnaeulis 
Armisque insignita. 

In conceptione 
Charitate ignita, 
Draconis potestas 
Est a te contrita. 

mulier fortis, 
Et invicta Judith, 
Pulchra Abisag virgo, 
Verum fovens David. 

Rachel curatorem 
iEgypti gestavit : 
Salvatorem mundi 
Maria portavit. 

Amen. 



Hail, city of refuge, 
Hail, David's high tower, 
With battlements crowned 
And girded with power. 

Filled at thy conception 
With love and with light, 
The dragon by thee 
Was shorn of his might. 

O woman most valiant, 
O Judith thrice blessed, 
As David was nursed 
In fair Abishag's breast. 

As the savior of Egypt 
Upon Rachel's knee, 
So the world's great Redeemer 
Was cherished by thee. 

Amen. 



T 7 ". Tota pulchra es, V. Thou art all fair, 

arnica mea. my beloved. 

J?. Et macula origi- i?. And the original 

nalis numquam fuit in te. stain was never in thee. 

V. Domina, exaudi, V. O Lad} , hear, &c, 

etc., [p. 565, cum ora- [with the prayer and ver- 

tione ut supra.] sides, as at p. 565.] 



570 



DEVOTIONS TO 



AT VESPERS. 



V. Domina, in adju- 
torium meimi intende. 

P. Me de rnanu hos- 
tium potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri. Al- 
leluia. 



T 7 ". O Lad}', make speed 
to befriend me. 

P. From the hands of 
the en em}' mightily de- 
fend me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
tlier, &c. Alleluia. 



HYMN. 



SALVE, horologium, 
Quo retrogradiatur 
Sol in decern lineis ; 
Verbum incarnatur. 



Hail, dial of Achaz, 
On thee the true sun 
Told backward the course 
Which from old he had run. 



Homo ut ab inferis 
Ad summa attollatur, 
Immensus ab angelis 
Paulo minor atur. 



And, that man might he raised, 

Submitting to shame, 

A little more low 

Than the angels became. 



Solis hujus radiis 
Maria coruscat ; 
Consurgens aurora 
In conceptu micat. 



Thou, wrapped in a blaze 
Of his infinite light, 
Dost shine as the morn 
On the confines of night, 



Lilium inter spinas, 
Quae serpentis conterat 
Caput : pulchra ut luna 
Errantes collustrat. 



As the moon on the lost 
Through obscurity dawns : 
The serpent's destroyer, 
A lily 'mid thorns. 

Amen. 



T 7 ". Ego feci in coelis, 
ut oriretnr lumen ihde- 
fieiens. 

P. Et quasi nebula texi 
onmem terrain. 

V. Domina, exaudi, 
etc., [p. 565, cum ora- 
tione ut supra.] 



V. I made an unfail- 
ing light to arise in 
heaven. 

P. And as a mist I 
overspread the whole 
earth. 

V. O Lady, hear, &c, 
[with the prayer and ver- 
sicles, as at p. 565.] 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



571 



AT COMPLIN. 



V. Convertat nos, Do- 
mina, tuis precibu^ placa- 
tus Jesus Christus Filius 
tuus. 

R, Et avertat iram su- 
am a nobis. 

V. Domina, in adjuto- 
rium meum intende. 

R. Me de nianu hosti- 
um potenter defende. 



V. Gloria Patri. 
leluia. 



Al- 



V. Ma}' Jesus Christ, 
thy Son, reconciled by thy 
prayers, Lady, convert 
our hearts. 

R. And turn away his 
anger from us. 

V. O Lady, make speed 
to befriend me. 

R. From the hands of 
the enemy mightily de- 
fend me. 

V. Glory be to the Fa- 
ther, &c. Alleluia. 



SALVE, Virgo florens, 
Mater illibata, 
Regina clementiae, 
Stellis coronata. 



HYMN. 

Hail, Mother most pure, 
Hail, Virgin renowned, 
Hail, Queen with the stars 
As a diadem crowned. 



Super omnes angelos 
Pura, inimaculata, 
Atque ad regis dexter am 
Stans veste deaurata. 

Per te, Mater gratiae, 
Dulcis spes reorum, 
Pulgens stella maris, 
Portus naufragorum, 

Patens coeli janua, 
Salus inflrmorum, 
Videamus Regem 
In aula sanctorum. 

Amen. 

V. Oleum effusum, Ma- 
ria, nomen tuum. 

R. Servi tui dilexerunt 
te nimis. 



Above all the angels 
In glory untold, 
Standing next to the King, 
In a vesture of gold. 

O Mother of r rercy, 
O star of the wave, 
O hope of the guilty, 
O light of the grave, 

Through thee may we come 
To the haven of rest, 
And see heaven's King 
In the courts of the blessed. 

Amen. 

V. Thy name, O Mary, 
is as oil poured out. 

R. Tlry servants have 
loved thee exceedingly. 



572 



DEVOTIONS TO 



J 7 ". Domina. exaudi. 
etc.. [p. 565, cum ora- 
tions at supra.] 



V. O Lady, hear. &c, 
[with the prayer and ver- 
sicles, as at page 5G5.] 



THE COMMENDATION 

SUPPLICES offerinms 
Tibi, Virgo pia, 
Haec laudum praeconia ; 
Fac nos ut in via. 



Ducas cursu prospero ; 
Et in aizonia 
Tu nobis assiste, 
O dulcis Maria. 

R. Deo gratias. 



These praises and prayers 
1 lay at thy feet, 
O Virgin of virgins, 
Mary most sweet. 



Be thou my true guide 
Through this pilgrimage here, 
And stand by my side- 
When death draweth near. 

B. Thanks be to God. 



LITANY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF 
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 

God the Father, source of all sanctity, have mercy 
on us. 

God the Son. increated sanctity, have mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost, spirit of sanctity, have mercy 
on us. 

Most sacred Trinity, have mercy on us. 
Immaculate holy Mary, pray for us. 
Immaculate Mother of God, 1 ^ 

Immaculate Virgin of virgins, 2 
Immaculate in your conception, ^ 
Immaculate after conception, cj* 
Immaculate Daughter of the Father, ^ 
Immaculate Mother of the Son, j ? 



THE BLESSED VIKGIN MARY. 

Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Ghost, 
Immaculate seat of the Holy Trinity, 
Immaculate image of the divine wisdom, 
Immaculate ark of the body of Christ, 
Immaculate daughter of David, 
Immaculate way which conducts to Jesus, 
Immaculate Virgin, who hast triumphed over 
original sin, 

Immaculate Virgin, who hast crushed the ser- 
pent's head, 
Immaculate Queen of heaven and earth, 
Immaculate gate of the holy city, 
Immaculate dispensatrix of grace, 
Immaculate spouse of St. Joseph, 
Immaculate dawn of the sun of justice, 
Immaculate star of the sea, 
Immaculate bulwark of the Church, 
Immaculate rose among thorns, 
Immaculate olive of the field, 
Immaculate model of all perfection, 
Immaculate column of our faith, 
Immaculate ground of our hope, after Christ, 
Immaculate ocean of divine love, 
Immaculate beacon of salvation, 
Immaculate rule of the most perfect obedience, 
Immaculate house of the purest chastity, 
Immaculate trumpet of holy poverty, 
Immaculate school of all devotion, 
Immaculate anchor of our salvation, 
Immaculate joy of angels, 
Immaculate crown of patriarchs, 
Immaculate light of prophets, 
Immaculate mistress of apostles, 
Immaculate strength of martyrs, 
Immaculate princess of doctors, 
Immaculate virtue of confessors, 
Immaculate purity of virgins, 



574 



DEVOTIONS TO 



Immaculate glory of all saints. 

Immaculate sanctity of all Christians, ^ 
Immaculate companion of devout souls, § 
Immaculate joy of those who trust in you, ^ 
Immaculate medicine of the sick, ' cs> 

Immaculate advocate of sinners, J 
Immaculate terror of heretics, ? 
Immaculate patroness of all mankind. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

spare us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

graciously hear us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us. 

Ant. We salute you. Virgin Mother of God, ex- 
empt from original sin. who, at the moment of your 
conception, crushed the serpent's head. We hail 
you, purest of virgins ; we cry to }x>u for protection. 
Save us, poor sinners, by your prayers ; render your 
Son favorable to us in death, and be yourself present 
to assist us, O holy Virgin — immaculate before con- 
ception, immaculate in conception, and immaculate 
after conception. 

Pray for us, immaculate Mother of God. 
That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Prayer. 

O ALMIGHTY and eternal God, who hast in- 
spired thy Church to institute a festival in honor 
of the conception of the Mother of thy Son, grant 
that all who devoutly celebrate it on earth may eter- 
nally enjoy thy presence in heaven, through the same 
Jesus Christ our Lord, thy Son, who liveth and reign- 
eth with thee, in the unit}' of the Holy Ghost, world 
without end. Amen. 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



575 



NOVENAS in honor of our lady. 

FOR THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 
OF MARY. 

OMOST amiable Virgin, who was from all eter- 
nity the object of the divine love, obtain for us 
that you may become also the beloved object of our 
devotion. Ave. 

2. O holy Virgin, whose conception was an espe- 
cial grace of God granted to the prayers, the longing 
desires, and the mortifications of the patriarchs, 
prophets, and all the just, obtain for us that, by sim- 
ilar means, we may be made worthy to share in the 
divine favors. Ave. 

3. O most privileged Virgin, by whose conception 
the barrenness of your parents was changed into 
wonderful fruitfulness, obtain that our sterile souls 
may become fruitful in good works and holy thoughts. 
Ave. 

4. O immaculate Virgin, who alone amongst crea- 
tures was preserved from original sin, as well as 
from the slightest spot of actual stain, obtain for us 
that we ma}' henceforth be kept from the least infec- 
tion of sin. Ave. 

5. O singular Virgin, who was not only preserved 
from sin, but from all tendency to evil, obtain for us 
that we may be enabled to keep so strict a guard over 
our senses, that, by mortifying our flesh, we may 
subdue those inclinations by which we become slaves 
to the law of sin. Ave. 

6. O most fortunate Virgin, who was, from the 
moment of }'our conception, confirmed in divine love* 
obtain for us such copious graces as may keep us 
faithful and acceptable to God unto the end. Ave. 

7. O most hoi}' Virgin, who, at your conception* 
was replenished with the fulness of grace r obtain 



57(* 



DEVOTIONS TO 



for ns that, by means of prayer and the participation 
of the holy sacraments, we may receive all the graces 
which we require for our sanctification and salvation. 
Ave. 

8. O most blessed Virgin, who. at the first instant 
of your life, was adorned with the choicest and most 
perfect virtues, obtain for us a most lively faith, the 
firmest hope, the most perfect charity, and all the 
other virtues which should adorn a C hristian soul. 
Ave. 

9. O blessed Virgin, whose conception announced 
the near approach of the glorious rising of the sun 
of justice, become the light of our minds, the joy of 
our hearts, our defence in dangers, our support in 
temptations, our comfort in tribulations ; plant and 
nourish in our souls all those virtues which made you 
so admirable upon earth, and now render you so glo- 
rious in heaven. Ave. Gloria. 



FOR THE NATIVITY. 

OHOLY Virgin, whose birth into this world 
announced peace to suffering men, upon this 
solemn remembrance of your birth, obtain, we be- 
seech you, true peace to our hearts, to the Church, 
and to all the world. Ave. 

2. O invincible Virgin, who commenced, at the 
instant of your birth, the overthrow of the kingdom 
of the devil, obtain for us that we may be enabled to 
destroy his reign in our hearts, and continually to 
resist him by a lively faith, so that Christ may reign 
in us and with us forever. Ave. 

3. Unspotted Virgin, who was born adorned with 
perfect purity, obtain for us that we may hencefor- 
ward cease to live after the flesh, but may be enabled; 
to lead a pure and spotless life, such as true Chris- 
tians should do. Ave. _ • ~ 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



577 



4 o Heavenly Virgin, who came into the world to 
triumph over it, obtain for us that we also may be 
detached from it, living, not according to its laws, 
but to those of the gospel. Ave. 

5. Glorious Virgin, who was born to triumph over 
all heresy, dissipate by } T our power all the errors 
which oppose themselves to our holy religion, and 
preserve constantly in us that lively faith which works 
by charity. Ave. 

6. Most holy Virgin, who appeared on this earth 
to afford us a bright mirror of virtue and holiness, 
let our eyes be continually turned towards you, that 
we may be enabled to imitate your virtuous deeds, 
and become holy like }'ou. Ave. 

7. Most happy Virgin, whom God created to bring 
forth Him who would heal the evils of the whole 
world, obtain for us that we may be preserved from 
all sin, the only*real evil, and may make so profitable 
a use of divine grace, that we may attain eternal 
life. Ave. 

FOR THE PRESENTATION. 

O GREAT Virgin and dear Mother, by the mar- 
vellous promptitude with which you dedicated 
your earliest years to the service of God, obtain that 
we may from this time forward be enabled to conse- 
crate our hearts to the divine service without ever 
being diverted from our purpose. Ave. 

2. O great Virgin and dear Mother, by that se- 
raphic zeal with which in your childhood you served 
in the temple, thereby becoming an object of admi- 
ration to angels and men, obtain for us that we may 
approach the holy sacraments with the true spirit of 
devotion. Ave. 

3, O great Virgin and dear Mother, by the admira- 
ble courage with which 3-011 subdued your attachment 
to home and parents, in 3-our first j-ears of life, that 

37 



578 



DEVOTIONS TO 



you might devote yourself to the service of God, 
obtain for us that, no longer seduced by the deceits 
of our enemies, we may he able to keep our hearts 
detached from all earthly things, seeking for our true 
and perfect good alone, and may enjoy one clay with 
you the eternal delights of paradise. Ave. 

FOR THE ANNUNCIATION . 

O IMMACULATE MARY, who obtained by 
your profound humility and perfect chastity 
to be preferred, before the most renowned women of 
all ages, for the Mother of your Creator, obtain for 
us the grace to live like you in the practice of these 
two beautiful virtues, that we may at length attain 
with you to the joy of our Lord. Ave. 

2. O immaculate Mary, who were troubled when 
you heard the angel's praises, obtain for us the grace 
to haxe. like you. a lowly esteem of ourselves, that, 
shrinking from the praises of men, we may solely 
endeavor to deserve the approbation of our Lord. 
Ave. 

3. O immaculate Mary, who valued the privilege 
of virginity not less than the glory of being the 
Mother of God, obtain for us the grace that we may 
willingly sacrifice all things rather than sully the 
purity of our souls. Ave. 

4. O immaculate Mary, who called yourself the 
Handmaid of the Lord, with an extraordinary humil- 
ity, after the archangel Gabriel had announced that 
you were to be his Mother, obtain from the Lord that 
we may never be elated by any gifts with which God 
may favor us, but that they may advance us in virtue, 
and unite us more and more with the true source of 
all happiness. Ave. 

5. immaculate Mary, who did not refuse to be- 
come the Mother of the Redeemer for the salvation 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MART. 



579 



of men, though you knew the great sacrifice which 
you must one clay make of him on the cross, and the 
bitter passion which you would have to endure with 
him. obtain for us. I pray you. that we may never 
refuse to make any sacrifice which may be required 
of us for his glory or for the salvation of our neigh- 
bor. Ave. 

6. immaculate Mary, who by that fiat which you 
pronounced when you consented to become the Mother 
of the YTord. rejoiced heaven, consoled earth, and 
affrighted hell, obtain for us a perfect confidence in 
your holy protection, by which we may obtain the 
copious benefits of your Son's redemption, to which 
you. O great Virgin, lent your desired aid. Ave. 

7. immaculate Mary. who. by a miracle till then 
unheard of. became the Mother of the incarnate 
Word without the smallest stain on your spotless 
purity, obtain, we pray you. that we maybe reserved 
and modest in our looks, words, and actions, and 
never sully, by any stain, that purity which is suited 
to our profession. Ave. 

8. O immaculate Mary, who contracted so intimate 
a relation with the most holy Trinity that you became 
at the same time the Daughter of the holy Father, the 
Mother of the holy Son. and the Sponse of the Holy 
Ghost, obtain for us that we may so preserve the 
purity of our souls that we may be worthy to be the 
temples of the Father who created us. of the Son 
who redeemed us. and of the Holy Spirit who sancti- 
fies us. Ave. 

9. immaculate Mary, who had the especial priv- 
ilege of bearing in your virginal womb Him whom 
heaven and earth cannot contain, obtain for us that 
we may so exercise ourselves continually in humility, 
penitence, charity, and prayer, that we may worthily 
receive your divine Son when he vouchsafes to visit 
us in the blessed sacrament, and may also be blessed 



580 



DEVOTIONS TO 



by this gracious presence at the moment of our death, 
and that, at length, we may contemplate and possess 
him, together with you and the angels and saints in 
heaven. Ave. 

FOR THE VISITATION. 

BY that purity of intention through which. O 
Mary, you quitted your home, and proceeded to 
visit your cousin Elizabeth, obtain for us. we pray, 
the grace of seeking in all that we do only the pure 
glory of God. Ave. 

2. By that holy care with which you took the road 
to the mountains of Judea. obtain for us. we pray, 
the grace to walk continually in the way of holiness, 
that we may never be driven back by any obstacles 
which our enemies may oppose against us. A re. 

3. By the profound humility which induced you. 
Mary, first to salute your cousin Elizabeth, obtain for 
us. we pray, the grace to turn to our profit whatever 
occasions may be olfered us for the practice of this 
virtue, so beautiful and so necessary for our salvation. 
Ave. 

4. By that extreme joy which you infused into the 
soul of Elizabeth when you tenderly embraced her. 
obtain for us, we pray, the grace to continue until 
death in the profession of piety, that we may attain 
to the fulness of heavenly happiness. Ave. 

5. By that extraordinary favor which you. O Mary, 
obtained for John, that he should be sanctified in his 
mother's womb before he saw the light, obtain for us, 
we pray, the grace of preserving ourselves free from 
all stain till death. Ave. 

6. By the most humble confession which you made, 
O Mary, of that marvellous work which Almighty 
God had performed in 3011, by which you became the 
object of the benediction of mankind, obtain for us 
the grace always to acknowledge the blessings which 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



581 



we receive from the Lord, and to employ them to his 
honor and glory. Ace. 

1 . By that ardent charity which yon, O Mary, 
practised during the three months in which 3-011 dwelt 
i-:i the house of Elizabeth, obtain for us. we pray, the 
grace to be always ready to assist with affection ail 
the necessities of our neighbors. Ave* 

8. By the model which you, O Mary, exhibited of 
every virtue in your daily intercourse with your rela- 
tions, Elizabeth and her holy spouse Zaeharias, obtain 
for us, we pray, that we may have grace to give con- 
tinual edification to our neighbors by all our words 
and actions. Ave. 

9 . By that admirable detachment from your nearest 
relations, O Mary, which you exhibited, when, having 
completed all the duties which you had undertaken in 
the house of Elizabeth, you returned immediately to 
your house in Nazareth, obtain for us, we pray, that 
we may be enabled always to live so detached from 
the things of the world as never to mingle in the 
affairs of men. except when summoned by necessity 
or charity ; that our hearts may be fixed on God 
alone, from whom we hope for peace in this life and 
blessedness in another. Ave. 



FOR THE PURIFICATION. 

BY the heroic obedience which you, O great Vir- 
gin, practised in submitting to the law of 
purification, obtain for us the most exalted obedi- 
ence to all the laws of God, of the Church, and of 
our superiors. Ave. 

2. By that angelic modesty and heavenly devotion 
with which you went and presented yourself in the 
temple, obtain for us that we may conduct ourselves 
in the house of God with that exterior and interior 
devotion which are fitting its sanctity. Ave. 



582 



DEVOTIONS TO 



3. By the holy care with which you sought. O 
most pure Virgin, to cleanse yourself by the sacred 
rite of purification from the least appearance of out- 
ward uncleanness. obtain for us an insatiable desire to 
cleanse ourselves from the smallest stain of sin. Ave. 

4. By that profound humility which led you to re- 
sort to the temple amongst sinners, though you were 
the most perfect of creatures, obtain for us such a 
spirit of humility as shall render us dear to God and 
deserving of his favors. Ave. 

5. By that perfect faith in God your Son which 
you. O Mary, preserved when you heard the prophecy 
which foretold that he should become an occasion of 
contradiction and ruin to many, obtain for us an 
equally firm and lively faith amidst all temptations 
and contradictions. Ave. 

6. By the invincible resignation with which. O 
Mary, you listened to the bitter prophecy of holy 
Simeon, that a sword of sorrow should pierce through 
your soul, obtain that we also may preserve a most 
perfect resignation amidst the most afflicting events 
by which God, in his infinite wisdom, may be pleased 
to try us. Ave. 

7. By the intense charity which induced you, 
Mary, to offer to the eternal Father the holy sacrifice 
of your Son for the redemption and salvation of all 
men, obtain for us that we may be willing to sacrifice 
to the Lord whatever is most dear to us. whenever it 
shall be requisite for our sanetincation and salvation. 
Ave. Gloria. 

IX COMMEMORATION OF THE SEVEN DOLORS OF OUR 
BLESSED LADY. 

I COMPASSIONATE you. O my most afflicted 
Mother, for the first dolor which you felt 
when holy Simeon foretold the most bitter passion 
and painful death of your divine Son. and the sharp 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



583 



sword that would pierce your own most sweet and 
tender heart ; I beseech you to obtain for us a perfect 
knowledge of our sins, and true contrition for them. 
Ave. 

2. I compassionate you, O my afflicted Mother, 
for the second dolor which you felt, when, flying 
with your infant Jesus and your holy spouse St. 
Joseph from the cruelty of Herod, you departed into 
Egypt amidst many disasters and sufferings ; I be- 
seech you to obtain for us the divine assistance 
against the snares of the infernal enemy of our salva- 
tion. Ave. 

3. I compassionate you, O my afflicted Mother, 
for the third dolor which you felt, when, having lost 
your beloved Son Jesus, you sought him in sorrow 
and in tears during the space of three days, until yon 
found him in the holy temple ; I beseech you to ob- 
tain for us the pardon of all our sins. Ave. 

4. I compassionate you, O my afflicted Mother, 
for the fourth dolor which you felt when Jesus was 
taken away from you to be delivered into the hands 
of the cruel Jews, and to be crucified on Mount Cal- 
vary ; I beseech you to obtain for us the acquisition 
of every virtue and perfect correspondence with di- 
vine grace. Ave. 

5. I compassionate you, O my afflicted Mother, 
for the fifth dolor which you felt on meeting your 
divine Son wounded and bleeding, crowned with 
thorns, and laden with a heavy cross ; I beseech you 
to obtain for us an humble and entire resignation to 
the divine will in all our labors and trials. Ave. 

6. I compassionate you, O my afflicted Mother, 
for the sixth dolor which you felt when you beheld 
your divine Son covered with wounds, transfixed with 
nails, and dying on the cross ; I beseech you to make 
us worthy of your heavenly assistance at the hour of 
our death. Ace. 



5*4 



DEVOTIONS TO 



7. I compassionate you. O my afflicted Mother, 
for the seventh dolor which you felt. when, after 
your divine Son had expired, you received within 
your arms the sacred body, all mangled and covered 
with blood ; I beseech you to obtain for us that we 
may so enjoy the fruit of his bitter passion and death 
as to be partakers of his eternal glory in heaven. 
Ave. 

FOR THE ASSUMPTION. 

MOST blessed Virgin, by the jo}' your soul ex- 
perienced when you heard yourself called to 
immortal glory, in humility we pray you to obtain 
for us the grace so to live that we ma}' meet the ap- 
proach of death with joy; Ave. 

2. Most lovely Virgin, who consoled the holy 
apostles, when, assembled to be present at your 
death, they deeply lamented their grievous loss, deign 
to comfort us in all our troubles, especially in our 
agony and at the hour of our death. Ave. 

3. Immaculate Virgin, whose death was not the 
effect of sin, but of the power of divine love, which 
freed your most pure soul from ail its earthly chains, 
that it might fly to the embraces of your divine Son, 
obtain tor us that by an act of the love of God we 
may close this life, and be united forever with our 
supreme Good. Ave. 

4. We rejoice with you. O elect Virgin, for the 
honors which were paid by the angels to your body 
when they sang hymns of praise and glory to the 
adorable ark in which the eternal Word had been in- 
carnate. Ah. obtain for us that we may be preserved 
so pure and chaste that we may be permitted to enjo}' 
their society in heaven. Ave. 

5. Blessed were you. O admirable Virgin, in that 
happy resurrection in which you were invested with 
celestial beauty I O, well were you. then rewarded 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



585 



for all that you had suffered during life ! Help us. O 
dear Mother, to endure, for the love of Jesus, every 
suffering, that, in the resurrection, we may also obtain 
the gift of a glorified body. Ave. 

6. We venerate, O great Mother of God. your 
glorious assumption into heaven, accompanied by the 
angelic choirs in splendid triumph, when you were 
raised by your only Son to the highest and most glo- 
rious place in his blessed kingdom. O triumphant 
Virgin, disdain not to cast a glance from your throne 
upon our wretchedness ; detach us from this world, 
and draw our hearts to yourself, that, by humbling 
ourselves on earth, we may be made lit to be exalted 
with you in heaven. Ave. 

7. O Mary, great Daughter of the eternal Father, 
who crowned you with dominion over heaven and 
earth, ah, be pleased to make use of your power in 
our favor by subduing our spiritual enemies, and 
those of the holy Church, that your Son Jesus ma}' 
reign triumphant over all things. Ave. 

8. O great Mother of the eternal Word, by that 
celestial wisdom with which your divine Son adorned 
you in your triumphant assumption, procure for all 
Christians, for all heretics, and for ail infidels, the 
light by which they may understand the truths of the 
gospel, and the grace which shall enable them to 
obey them. Ave. 

9. Praised be God, O most pure Spouse of the 
Holy Spirit, who encircled your head with the bright- 
est crown of glory. O, be pleased to point out to 
us how we may follow your blessed footsteps. O 
prudent Virgin, behold our misery. Powerful Queen, 
aid us with your power. Tender Mother, make us 
worthy of love by an imitation of your virtues, most 
especially of your fervent charity, that we may be 
partakers of the glories of your immortality. Ave* 
Gloria. 



586 DEVOTIONS TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 



COMMEMORATION OF THE SEVEN JOYS OF OUR BLESSED 
LADY IN HEAVEN. 

REJOICE, O Spouse of the Holy Ghost, for the 
bliss which you possess in paradise, where } T ou 
are exalted above the angelic choirs. Ave. 

2. Eejoice, O true Mother of God, for the happi- 
ness which you feel in paradise ; for as the sun illu- 
minates the earth, so do you, with your divine 8 on, 
adorn and illuminate heaven by your brightness. Ave. 

3. Rejoice, O Daughter of God, for the joy to which 
you have attained in paradise, where the whole hie- 
rarchy of angels and archangels, thrones and domi- 
nations, and all the blessed, pay you honor, acknowl- 
edging you as the Mother of their Creator. Ave. 

4. Rejoice, O Handmaid of the blessed Trinity, for 
the gladness which 3-011 feel and enjoy in paradise ; for 
all the graces which you ask from your divine 8011 are 
instantly granted, and because, as St. Bernard says, 
" no grace is granted to us on earth which has not lirst 
passed through your holy hands." Ave. 

5. Rejoice, O Queen of heaven, for you alone de- 
serve to sit at the right hand of your divine Son, 
who is seated at the right hand of the eternal Fa- 
ther. Ave. 

6. Rejoice, O hope of sinners, refuge of the un- 
happy, for the bliss which you enjoy in paradise ; 
for the eternal Father rewards with his most pre- 
cious graces all those who love and reverence you on 
earth. Ave. 

7. Rejoice, O Mother, Daughter, and Spouse of 
God, because all the jo}'s, graces, and favors that 
you enjoy in heaven will never undergo airy diminu- 
tion, but will continue to rejoice } T our blessed heart 
for an endless eternity. Ave, Gloria. 



PRAYERS 

TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN, 

TO BE USED ON OCCASION OF PAYING A VISIT TO HER 
ALTAR OR IMAGE, OR AT OTHER TIMES. 



FOR OBTAINING THE LOVE OF MARY. 

OMARY, thou art the purest, the fairest, the 
holiest of creatures. that all men would ac- 
knowledge and love thee as thou deservest ! But I 
rejoice in the thought of the great number of the just 
whose hearts are inflamed with the love of thee. O 
amiable Queen, I also, unworthy as I am, I also love 
thee, but I love thee too little. I desire to love thee 
more tenderly and more generously, for to love thee 
is one of the marks of predestination. I ask thee not 
for the good things of the world — its riches, its hon- 
ors, or its pleasures ; I beseech thee to obtain for me 
the grace to love thy Son with all the fervor of my 
heart, and to consecrate irryself entirety to his honor 
and thine. O Mary. my Mother, cease not to pray 
for me, until thou seest me secure of possessing my 
God, of loving him and loving thee forever and 
ever. Amen. 

ANOTHER. 

OTHAT I had the heart of all the angels and all 
the saints, to love Mary as they love her ! O 
that I had at my disposal the life of all mankind, that 
1 might consecrate it whole and entire to the glory 
and the service of this most amiable Mother 1 O that 

587 



588 



PRAYERS TO 



I could engrave on all hearts and on all lips the lovely 
name of Mary — that name so powerful, which con- 
stitutes the delight, the security, the happiness of all 
who utter it with a sweet confidence and a holy joy ! 

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who 
have recourse to thee. 

TO OUR LADY OF PEACE. 

OHOLY Virgin, my august Queen, obtain for me 
from thy divine Son the peace which he left as 
a heritage to his disciples. The world knows it not ; 
it resides only in souls that are sanctified by grace. 
Obtain for me, I beseech thee, grace to maintain this 
peace with God, by my fidelity in keeping his law ; 
with my superiors, by my submission, obedience, and 
respect ; with my equals, by meekness, patience, and 
charity ; with myself, by the practice of all virtues ; 
so that it may be poured forth also upon my relations, 
friends, and all mankind. Obtain for me grace to 
live on earth in the peace of innocence, that at the 
last I may be found worthy of that ineffable peace 
which the blessed enjoy in heaven. Amen. 

TO OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION. 

OMARY, most sweet, most amiable, and most glo- 
rious, thy name cannot be uttered in the secret 
of the heart without inflaming it with thy love ; and they 
who love thee cannot think of thee without feeling 
themselves animated to love thee more and more, 
and putting all their confidence in thee. O Mary. O 
my Mother, thou seest my trouble ; look upon me 
with an eye of pity ; thou art the consolation of all 
who call upon thee in affliction ; be thou, then, mine. 
Hearken to the sighs, graciously hear the prayers, of 
my poor heart ; forsake me not, but support me in 
affliction, and strengthen me in danger. Thou art 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN'. 



58D 



the heavenly clew that sweet enest our sorrows. O 
Mother of consolation, I pray thee, sweeten mine ; 
give peace to my soul ; grant me all that thou know- 
est I desire of thee ; obtain for me, from tlry divine 
Son. the pardon of all my sins, the grace to sin no 
more, the blessedness to imitate thy virtues all the 
rest of my life, and finally a holy and a happy death. 
At that tremendous hour, be thou my protectress and 
my consolation, I beseech thee. O my tender Mother, 
come and receive my soul, to present it at the tribu- 
nal of the sovereign Judge, and to obtain for me a 
favorable sentence. I deserve not this at thy hands ; 
but I am thy child. I love thee, and I desire to make 
thee loved by all hearts. Amen. 

AX ACT OF REPARATION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN. 

HOW great is my grief, O most holy Virgin Mary, 
when I consider the injuries which thou receiv- 
est every da}' on the part of men ! How can there 
be found hearts so hard and impious as to despise 
thee, who art worthy of the respect and love of an- 
gels and men ! And among the very children of the 
Church, thine own children, there are some, alas ! 
who feel nothing but coldness and indifference for 
thee ; who take no pains to testify their gratitude and 
devotion towards thee ; who never honor thee, or in- 
voke thy intercession, or seek to gain tlry protection. 
And how many times have I myself plunged into my 
heart the two-edged sword ! O Mother of mercy, I 
should never dare to lift up my eyes to thee, wert 
thou not the advocate of sinners. Oppressed with 
the burden of my infidelities, I come to ask forgive- 
ness at thy feet, for myself and for all mankind. I 
acknowledge thy glory to be above that of all crea- 
tures. I honor, with the Church, thy immaculate 
conception and thy glorious assumption ; I believe 



590 



PRAYERS TO 



thy power and all thy perfections to be proportioned 
to thy dignity of Mother of God : I acknowledge 
thee with joy as my advocate, my refuge, and my 
Mother : I will glory all my life in being of the num- 
ber of thy most devoted children, and it shall be my 
happiness to win all hearts to thy love. Vouchsafe, 
O spotless Virgin, to obtain for me grace to imitate 
thy virtues, and to dwell with thee hereafter in the 
abode of glory. Amen. 

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN. 

OHOLY Mary, Mother of God. who. from the 
first moment of thy conception., wast free from 
the stain of original sin, I choose thee this day for 
my queen, my patroness, my advocate with God. and 
my glorious Mother. I am most earnestly resolved, 
from this day. to persevere in thy service, and in 
promoting tin' honor, during the whole course of my 
lite : I will never say anything, nor do anything, nor 
sutler any who belong to me to offer, in their conver- 
sation or their actions, the slightest injury to the 
reverence and homage which are due to thee by a 
thousand titles. Vouchsafe, then, I beseech thee, 
august Queen of heaven and earth, to admit me to- 
day into thy service forever, and to grant me thy holy 
protection every moment of my life. Above all, O 
most sacred Mother of my Saviour, I beseech thee 
not to abandon me at the hour of my death. Amen. 

A PRAYER FOR PERSEVERANCE IN DEVOTION TO THE 
BLESSED VIRGIN. 

OGOD, who hast placed us under the patronage 
of the most holy Mother of thy Son Jesus, and 
dost excite us to strive for the prize of our high call- 
ing, come into our hearts, and pour down upon us thy 
purifying grace, whereby we may persevere iu thy 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



591 



sendee, and in the service of the same most holy 
Virgin Mary : so that, fortified by so powerful a pro- 
tection, we may perform those good desires which 
thou hast put into our hearts, and having effectually 
accomplished all that was set before us to do. may 
attain those things which thou hast been pleased to 
promise to those that abide in thee, through the same 
Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with 
thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and 
ever. Amen. 

A WAY OF ASKING OUR LADY'S BLESSING. 

COME. O my soul, prostrate thyself at the feet of 
Mary, thy mother, and depart not till she hath 
blessed thee. O blessed of God. and enriched with 
all blessings, in thy mercy and kindness bless my 
afflicted soul, and obtain for me. from thy beloved 
Son. abundant grace, that I may so faithfully serve 
both him and thee in this world, that I may be made 
partaker of eternal glory. Amen. 



AN ACT OF FILIAL REVERENCE TO MARY. 

Pope Leo XII. granted, in perpetuity, to all the faithful who 
should recite the three following prayers, together with three 
'•Hail Marys," to ask the blessed Virgin's assistance in the 
practice of Christian virtues, and especially the holy virtue 
of purity : 1. An indulgence of one hundred days each time 
they are said. 2. A plenary indulgence, once a month, on 
reciting them every day, with the usual conditions. These 
indulgences are applicable to the souls in purgatory. 

I. 

IVEXEEATE thee with all my heart, O most holy 
Virgin, as the Daughter of the Father of heaven ; 
and I consecrate to thee my soul, with all its powers 
Hail, Mary ! 



592' 



PRAYERS TO 



II. 

I VENERATE thee with all my heart, most holy 
Virgin, as the 31 other of the only Son of God ; 
and I consecrate to thee my body, with all its senses. 
Hail, Mary ! 

in. 

IVEXERATE thee with all my heart, most holy 
Virgin, as the beloyed Spouse of the Holy Ghost ; 
and I consecrate to thee my heart, with all its aiiec- 
tions : obtain for me of the Holy Trinity the graces 
necessary for my salyation. Hail. Mary ! 

THE MEMORAEE. 

REMEMBER, O most pions Virgin Mary, that no 
one eyer had recourse to thy protection, im- 
plored thy help, or sought thy mediation, without 
obtaining relief. Confiding therefore on thy goodness 
and mercy, I cast myself at thy sacred feet, and do 
most humbly supplicate thee. Mother of the Eternal 
Word, to adopt me as thy child, and to take upon 
thyself the care of my salyation. O, let it not be 
said, my dearest mother, that I have perished where 
no one eyer found but grace and salyation. 

INVOCATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN IN LIFE AND 
AT DEATH. 

OMOST holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, who 
art ever present before the throne of the blessed 
and adorable Trinity, and to whom it is at all times 
granted to make intercession with thy beloved Son, 
be a Mother to me in life and at the hour of my 
death ; and should I, in my last moments, be unable 
to say, 4 'Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I place my soul 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



593 



in your hands," say it for me. and leave me not be- 
fore I have been judged ; and if I have to expiate 
my sins in purgatory, pray for me earnestly, and 
admonish ray friends to obtain for me. through the 
holy sacrifice of the Mass, prayers, and alms-deeds, 
a speedy enjoyment of the bliss of heaven, where I 
may bless and praise nry God and thyself for all 
eternity. Amen. 
Three Hail Marys. 

DEVOTION TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP. 

O MOTHER of Perpetual Help, pray for us. thy 
children. Obtain for us, that we may contin- 
ually have recourse to thee. 

TRIDUO. 

First Day. 

BEHOLD at thy feet, O Mother of Perpetual Help, 
a miserable sinner, who has recourse to thee, 
and confides in thee. O Mother of Mercy, have pity 
on me. I hear thee called by all the refuge and the 
hope of sinners ; be then my refuge and my hope. 
Assist me for the love of Jesus Christ, stretch forth 
thy hand to a miserable wretch, who has fallen and 
who recommends himself to thee, and who conse- 
crates himself to be thy servant for ever. I bless 
and thank Almighty God, who by his mercy has given 
me this confidence in thee, which I hold to be a 
pledge of my eternal salvation. It is true that in 
past times I have miserably fallen into sin, because 
I had not recourse to thee. I know that with thy 
help T will be able to conquer. I know too. that 
thou wilt assist me if I recommend myself to thee, 
but I fear that in the time of danger I may neglect 
to call on thee and thus lose my soul. The grace, 
38 



594 



PRAYERS TO 



therefore, which I ask of thee, and for which I beg 
with all the fervor of my soul, is, that in ail the at- 
tacks of hell I may ever have recourse to thee, and 
say to thee : O Mary, help me : O Mother of Per- 
petual Help, never permit me to lose my God. 
Five Hail Marys. 

V. Pray for us, holy Mother of God. 
JR. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

O ALMIGHTY and merciful God. who in order 
to help the human race hast willed the blessed 
Virgin Mary to become the mother of thy only- begot- 
ten Son. grant, we beseech thee, that by her interces- 
sion we may avoid the contagion of sin and serve 
thee with a pure heart, through the same Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 

Second Day. 

OMOTHEE of Perpetual Help, grant that I 
may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which 
is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the 
dying. O purest Mary. O sweetest Mary, let thy 
name be henceforth the breath of my life. Do not 
hesitate, O blessed Lady, to help me whenever I 
call on thee to assist me : for in every temptation 
which will assail me. in all the necessities which may 
afTiict me, I will never cease to call on thee by often 
repeating : O Mary ! O Mary ! O what consolation, 
what sweetness and confidence, and what emotion 
does not my soul experience when I name thee or 
only think of thee ! I thank Almighty God for hav- 
ing given thee, on my account, so sweet, so powerful, 
so lovely a name. But I will not be content with the 
mere invocation of thy name ; I will call on thee, 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



595 



burning with love for thee, and beg, that my love 
for thee may impel me constant!}' to salute thee : O 
Mother of Perpetual Help. 

Five Hail Marys and prayer as above. 

Third Day. 

O MOTHER of Perpetual Help, thou art the dis- 
penser of all those gifts which God grants to 
us miserable sinners, and for this end he has made 
thee so powerful, so rich and so bountiful, in order 
that thou mayest help us in our misery. Thou art 
the advocate of those sinners, who are more miser- 
able and abandoned than the rest, and who have re- 
course to thee. Into thy hands I place my eternal 
salvation, and to thee I consign my soul. I wish to 
be numbered among thy most devoted servants ; take 
me under thy protection, and it is enough for me. 
For if thou protect me, I fear nothing, neither from 
my sins, because thou wilt obtain for me the pardon 
of them, nor from the devils, because thou art more 
powerful than all hell together ; nor even from Jesus 
Christ, my judge, himself, because by one prayer 
from thee, he will be appeased. But one thing I fear, 
that in the hour of temptation. I may, from my ex- 
treme negligence, fail to have recourse to thee, and 
thus perish miserably. Obtain for me, therefore, the 
pardon of my sins, holy perseverance, and the price- 
less gift to love Jesus Christ, and ever to have re- 
course to thee, O Mother of Perpetual Help, 
Pive Hail Marys and prayer as above. 

An indulgence of one hundred days, to be gained once a 
day, is granted for every one of the aforesaid prayers. — Re- 
script of May 17, I86G. 

Passing by our Lady's Altars and Pictures, say : 
O Mother of God, remember me ! 



596 



PRATERS TO 



O MOTHER OF GOD, REMEMBER ME. 

O MOTHER of God, and my most dear Mother, 
by the heart of Jesus, I beg of you each time 
I shall say u O Mother of God, remember me," to 
adore then for me the Heart of your divine Son, and 
offer my unworthy one to him. asking pardon for all 
that is amiss in it, telling that God of love how much 
it desires perfectly to love him, and obtain by your 
all-powerful intercession, a love that may consume in 
it all earthly affections, and that he may replenish it 
to the full extent of its small capacity. This, dear 
Mother, I beg through the Heart of Jesus, to which 
I am sure you can refuse nothing, and by which I 
know you cannot be rejected. O show then yourself 
a Mother, and comply with the desires of your poor 
unworthy child. 



PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES. 

BE thou blessed, O most pure Virgin, who didst 
deign to appear in the grotto of Lourdes as 
many as eighteen times, resplendent with light, sweet- 
ness, and beauty, and to say to the humble and simple 
child who contemplated thee in ecstasy, 4i I am the 
Immaculate Conception ! " be thou blessed for the 
extraordinary favors which thou dost unceasingly 
scatter around this place. 

By thy maternal heart, O Mary, and by the glory 
which the holy Church has rendered thee, we conjure 
thee to pray for the Sovereign Pontiff, and for . . . , 
and to realize the hopes of peace which the proclama- 
tion of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception 
excited in the breasts of the faithful. Amen. 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



597 



THE REMEMBER OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED 
HEART. 
One hundred days' indulgence. 

REMEMBER, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 
the power which thou dost possess over the 
heart of thy divine Son. Confiding in thy merits, 
I now implore thy protection. O glorious Lad}' of 
the Sacred Heart — of that Heart which is the 
inexhaustible source of all graces, and which thou 
canst open at thy will, in order to pour down upon 
mankind all the treasures of love and mercy, of light 
and salvation which it contains — obtain for me, I 
implore thee, the favor which I ask. . . . Xo, I can- 
not meet with a refusal : and since thou art my 
Mother, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, I beseech 
thee favorably to receive my prayer. Amen. 
Sweet Heart of Mary, be thou my refuge.* 
O Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.f 

NO VENA TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES. 
APPROPRIATE FOR THE USE OF THE SICK AND AFFLICTED. 

First Day. 

THIS poor life is full of bitterness and sorrow. 
We all stand in need of help and comfort. 
Happy then are they who have learned to turn fre- 
quently to the sweet refuge of the unfortunate and 
comforter of the afflicted, our dear Mother Mary. 
Richard of St. Lawrence assures us that Mary's 
compassion is extended to all who invoke her, were 
it only by a Hail Mary. An angel said to St. 
Bridget, that no one ever pra} r s to Mary without 
obtaining help from her. She is so kind-hearted, 
said he, that no one ever fails to experience her goocl- 

* Three hundred days' indulgence each time, and a plenary indulgence once 
during the month if recited every day. 
t One hundred days' indulgence. 



598 



PRAYERS TO 



ness, who asks anything from God through her inter- 
cession. 

Still more, so great is the compassion of this tender 
Mother toward us, so lively her interest in our welfare, 
that, sa}^s St. Liguori, she grants us assistance even 
before we ask for it. St. Anselm says that Mary 
anticipates the prayer of those who desire her protec- 
tion, such is her haste to help us. Hence we may 
conclude that she asks of God many graces for us, 
even before we have asked them , for ourselves. We 
see an instance of this in what the holy Gospel tells 
us of the marriage feast of Cana, in Galilee. It was 
not the spouses, though they were the interested 
parties, who asked the favor then granted by our 
Lord. It was Mary, who, seeing that the wine was 
failing, and compassionating their embarrassment, 
turned to her divine Son, who, at her request, 
wrought his first miracle. 

If then Mary is so ready to help us in our need, 
even when she is not asked, how much more readily 
must she come to our assistance when we implore her 
aid. St. Anselm, in order to increase our confidence 
in her, assures us, that when we address ourselves to 
the Mother of God, not only may we be sure of her 
assistance, but our prayers will often be even more 
quickly and abundantly answered through the invoca- 
tion of her name, than through the invocation of the 
name of our Lord. And let us not be startled at 
this assertion. 4i For," he says, 4 'Jesus Christ, our 
Saviour, is also our Judge, and must consequently 
visit justice on our iniquities ; while the Blessed 
Virgin, as our advocate and Mother, is bound to 
nothing but pity and affection. " 

Prayer. 

ODEAR Lady of Lourdes, bless me and help 
me. Thou, whom the saints have proclaimed 
so full of pity and kindness toward us, — thou, who 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



599 



art everywhere invoked with so much confidence, — 
thou, who hast deigned to appear in the grotto of 
Lourdes as a sweet messenger of grace and mercy, 
with a smile of motherly tenderness on thy lips, — ■ 
show now thy goodness toward me, thy poor child. 
Obtain for me, I beseech thee, the graces I stand in 
need of for my sanctification ; obtain for me patience 
in suffering ; and if it be God's will, obtain for me 
restoration to health, (or whatever other favor is 
specially asked for in the novena.) Amen. 

Our dear Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. 

Repeat three times. 

Second Day. — Prayer. 

O BLESSED Lad}' of Lourdes, thou whose influ- 
ence wdth Almighty God is so great that thy 
prayers are never refused, have pity on me thy 
needy child. O Virgin most holy ! O Virgin most 
powerful ! turn not away from me, though all un- 
worthy, nor disdain to plead in my behalf. Heed not 
my unworthiness, but the promptings of thy own heart, 
thou who art as rich in mercy as in power. Use thy 
boundless influence to obtain for me patience in 1113' 
sufferings, restoration to health (or other favor), and 
the grace to make a good use of it for the glory of 
God. Amen. 

Our dear Lad}' of Lourdes, pray for us. 
Repeat three times. 

Third Day. — Prayer. 

O COMPASSIONATE Lady of Lourdes, who 
hast shown thy affection for poor sinners by 
commanding Bernadette to pray for them and to get 
others to pray for them, exercise now thy compassion 
in my regard. O my Mother and my advocate, I know 
that my sins render me unworthy to approach thee ; 



600 



PRAYERS TO 



but I know also, sweet Refuge of sinners, that thy 
goodness will not reject me. I come to thee then 
with humble confidence. I lay all my miseries before 
thee, and implore thy help. O. above all things obtain 
for me true repentance for my sins, and entire pardon 
for them. And if it be the holy will of God. obtain 
for me restoration to health, and the grace to make 
a good use of it for the glory of God. 
Our dear Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. 

Fourth Day. — Prayer. 

O BLESSED Lady of Lourdes. I come to claim a 
share in thy boundless compassion and good- 
ness. Remember that thy mercy has never failed any 
one. Nay. permit me even to remind thee, that what- 
ever gifts thou hast of grace and glory, even to thy 
divine maternity, thou owest all in a certain sense to 
poor sinners, since it was for sinners that God became 
thy Son. Look on me. then. O Mary, and bless me, 
and help me. Obtain for me purity of soul and health 
of body. Amen. 

Our dear Lady of Lourdes, pray for us, 

Fifth Day. — Prayer. 

OLADY of Lourdes. special protectress of France, 
we all unite in thanking thee for thy goodness to 
that favored country. O be her protectress now 
above all in these troublous times ; dispel the cloud 
of sin and infidelity that now obscures her. and make 
her shine more brightly than ever with the light of 
faith and virtue. We thank thee too for the blessings 
which from her shrines, and especially from Lourdes, 
thou hast dispensed throughout the world. Deign, 
dear Mother, to make me now a sharer in those bless- 
ings, both spiritual and temporal. 0, if it be the will 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



601 



of God. obtain for me restoration to health : but if 
that should he a danger to my soul. I ask only for 
resignation and patience unto the end. Amen. 
Our dear Lady of Lourdes. pray for us. 

Sixth Day. — Prayer. 

OSTTEET Lady of Lourdes. during thy whole life 
the hitter cup of suffering was always at thy 
lips, and thou didst never murmur. Alas ! how dif- 
ferent have been my dispositions ! With all my 
heart I regret my want of generosity and resignation, 
and I now desire to do better. Obtain for me the 
courage and patience that I need in all my trials, and 
especially in these present sufferings. I offer them 
up through thy hands in atonement for my sins, and 
for the good of the holy Church. Deign, our dear 
Lady of Lourdes. to obtain my cure. But should 
that not be for the good of my soul, obtain for me 
perfect resignation and patience. Amen. 
Our dear Lady of Lourdes. pray for us. 

Seventh Day. — Prayer. 

ODEAR Lady of Lourdes. who didst say to 
Bernadette. " I promise to make thee happy, 
not in this world but in the world to come." help me 
to be less intent upon the gratifications of this life, 
and more desirous of the happiness of heaven. Make 
me understand what treasures are hidden in suiTering. 
that I may not waste them. Enable me rightly to 
appreciate the strengthening and sanctifying sacra- 
ments, that I may receive them devoutly and profita- 
bly. O. by thy bitter sufferings at the foot of the 
Cross, obtain for me patience in my sufferings, and, 
if it be the holy will of God. restoration to health. 
Amen. 

Our dear Lady of Lourdes. pray for us. 



602 



PRAYERS TO 



Eighth Day. — Prayer. 

O BLESSED Lady of Lourdes, the Immaculate 
Conception. Virgin most pure and stainless, 
obtain for me the grace to be chaste, to avoid all 
occasions of sin. and to have recourse to prayer 
whenever I am tempted by the devil, the world, or 
the flesh. Let me rather die than live to commit sin. 
But if it be the holy will of God, O obtain for me 
my health, and grace to make use of it for practising 
virtue and gaining heaven. Amen. 

Our dear Lady of Lourdes. pray for us. 

Ninth Day. — Prayer. 

OLADY of Lourdes. who hast so strongly recom- 
mended penance, help me to accept as I ought 
the penance which God sends me. and to profit by 
the sufferings which I have to bear. Enable me to 
understand rightly the wickedness of sin. and how 
terrible are its consequences for this life and for the 
life to come. And may this understanding make me 
eager to do all possible penance for the sins I have 
committed, and careful not to fall into them again. 
May this holy novena have the effect of lastingly 
increasing rny devotion toward thee, dear Mother ; 
and at its close I again beseech thee, if it be for the 
best, to obtain my restoration to health, though I add, 
in the sincerity of my soul, not my will, but God's 
will and thine be done. Amen. 

Our dear Lady of Lourdes. pray for us. 
Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of 
the Blessed Virgin Mary ! 

Prayer to our Lady of Lourdes. 

O IMMACULATE VIRGIN. Mother of mercy. 
Health of the weak. Comforter of the afflicted, 
Refuge of sinners, thou knowest our needs and our suf- 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



603 



ferings. Deign to look on as pityingly, and to help its 
bountifully. B} T appearing in the grotto of Lourdes, 
thou hast shown that thou didst wish it to be a privileged 
spot, whence thou shouldst dispense thy favors with 
special abundance. Already, veiy many have there 
found the cure both of their souls and of their bodies. 
Though we are so far distant from that holy place, 
yet even from afar we call to thee, O dear Lady of 
Lourdes, and ask that we may be sharers in those 
blessings. Hear our humble prayer, O loving and 
beloved Mother ; help us in our bodily needs and 
spiritual infirmities ; may our gratitude for tlry favors 
make us still more careful to imitate thy virtues dur- 
ing all our life, that so Ave may one clay come to share 
with thee in the glory of heaven. Amen. 
Our clear Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. 



SHORT INDULGEXCED PRAYERS. 

The sick often complain that they "cannot say their 
prayers." It would indeed he unreasonable to expect that 
they should be able to repeat long formulas of prayer. It is 
not best that they should even try to do so. Short loving 
prayers, frequently repeated, will be found not only easier, 
hut more profitable. The following ejaculations, having in- 
dulgences attached to them, may be specially recommended. 
The friends of the sick should frequently suggest one or an- 
other of them to the sufferer : 

MY JESUS, mercy! 
One hundred days' indulgence. 

Jesus ! Mary ! 
Twenty-five days' indulgence. 

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and my 
soul. 

One hundred days' indulgence. 



604 



FEAYEE3 TO 



Jesus, Mary, Joseph, assist me in my last agony. 

One hundred days' indulgence. 

Jesus. Mary, Joseph, may I die in peace, in }~our 
blessed company. 

One hundred days' indulgence. 

O sweet Jesus, be not my Judge, but my Saviour. 

Eigii'ty days' indulgence. 

Make devoutly the sign of the Cross. 

Fifty days' indulgence. 

Kiss the crucifix with respect. 
A year's indulgence. 

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who 
have recourse to thee. 

One hundred days 5 indulgence. 

May the most just, most high, most adorable will 
of God. be in all things done, and praised, and for- 
ever magnified. 

One hundred days' indulgence, once a day. 

Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception of 
the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
One hundred days' indulgence. 

THE LITANY OF OUE LADY OF LOUEDES. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son. Redeemer of the world, have mere}' 
on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God. have mercy on us. 
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



605 



Mother, who art the Model of all mothers, 

Mother, who didst suffer so much, 

Mother, who wast poor and shelterless, 

Mother, who didst journey to Bethlehem amid 
the hardships and cold of winter, 

Mother, who didst find for thy Son and thy God 
no refuge but the stable grotto, and no cradle 
hut a manger, 

Who hast declared : I am the Immaculate Con- 
ception, 

Who didst appear to an humble peasant girl, to O 

teach us humility, j ^ 

Who wast clothed with a snow-white robe, to i ^ 

teach us purity, i s£ 

Who didst wear an azure-blue girdle, to remind I ^ 

us of heaven, [ ^ 

Who didst stand with the thorny rose-bush under j ^ 

thy feet, to remind us that we are to get to | ^ 

heaven by suffering in this life, I 
Who didst carry a rosary in thy hand, to exhort 1 ^ 

us to prayer, j ^ 

Who didst keep thy hands joined and thy eyes j •§ 

raised toward heaven, to exhort us to penance, 
Who art the Star of Hope, 

Who wilt save Rome and our Holy Father the 
Pope, 

Who wilt save France, 

Who dost intercede for us with the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus, 

Who dost help and strengthen the clergy in their 

labors for souls, 
Who dost heal the sick. 
Who art the health of the weak, 
AVho art the Refuge of sinners, 
Who art the Comfortress of the afflicted, 
O Our Lady of Lourdes, conceived without sin, pray 

for us who have recourse to thee. 



606 



PRAYERS TO 



Lamb of God. who takest away the sins of the world, 

spare us. O Lord. 
Lamb of God. who takest away the sins of the world. 

graciously hear us. O Lord. 
Lamb of God. who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 

R. Pray for us. O Our Lady of Lourdes. Holy 
Mother of God. 

V. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

OOUR dear Lady of Lourdes. who under that 
sweet title hast already wrought so many mira- 
cles, stretch forth thy loying and powerful hand to 
protect our Holy Father the Pope, to saye France, 
and to help us who implore thy aid. Obtain that our 
hearts may be filled with the spirit of faith, hope, and 
charity. Belieying as we do in the truth of thy appa- 
ritions, and in thy boundless influence with thy divine 
Son. we have recourse to thee in our need. Save 
Eome ! Save France ! Obtain for us the favor which 
we ask through thy intercession. Amen. 

ASPIRATIONS. 

Jesus. Mary, Joseph. I give you my heart and my 
soul. 

One hundred days* indulgence. Pius VII. 

Jesus. Mary. Joseph, assist me in my last agony. 
One hundred days' indulgence. Pius VII. 

Jesus. Mary. Joseph, let my soul send forth her 
last sigh in peace, with you to aid me. 
One hundred days' indulgence. Pius VII. 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



607 



ACT OF PRAISE TO THE SS. HEARTS OF JESUS AXD 
MARY. 

May the divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate 
Heart of Mary be known, praised, blessed, loved, 
worshipped, and glorified always and in aU places. 
Amen. 

PRAYER IK TEMPTATION*. 

My Queen, my Mother, remember I am thy own. 
Keep me. guard me, as a thing of thine, thy own 
possession. 

Forty days' indulgence. 



DEVOTION TO 

THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



August is the month of devotion to the Sacred Heart of 
Mary. 

AS the adorable Heart of Jesus was formed in 
the chaste womb of the Blessed Virgin and of 
her blood and substance, so we cannot in a more 
proper and agreeable manner show our devotion to 
the Sacred Heart of the Son, than by dedicating 
some part of the said devotion to the Immaculate 
Heart of the Mother. For you have two hearts here 
united, in the most strict alliance, and tender con- 
formity of sentiments, so that it is not in nature to 
please the one, without making yourself agreeable to 
the other, and pleasing to both. Go then, devout 
client, to the Heart of Jesus, but let your way be 
through the Heart of Mary. The sword of grief 
which pierced her soul opens you a passage ; enter 
by the wound which love has made ; advance to the 
Heart of Jesus, and rest there even to death itself. 
Presume not to separate and divide two objects so 
intimately one, or united together ; but ask redress 
in all y our exigencies from the Heart of Jesus, and 
ask this redress through the Heart of Mary. 

This form and method of devotion is the doctrine 
and the very spirit of God's Church ; it is what she 
teaches us in the unanimous voice and practice of the 
faithful, who will by no means that Jesus and Mary 
should be separated from each other in our prayers, 

608 



DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 609 



praises, and affections.* This consideration has en- 
gaged the sovereign pontiffs and head pastors of the 
Church to give the selfsame sanction to the pious 
practices instituted in honor of the sacred Heart of 
Mary as they give to those of the adorable Heart of 
Jesus, both within their proper limits. They both 
have equally their feasts and solemnities, both their 
associations, and those, too, equally enriched with the 
treasures of the Church, under the liberal dispensa- 
tion of its governors. Many are the pious and vir- 
tuous souls who have drawn most signal fruit and 
advantages from these devotions. 

Let us love and honor these two hearts so inti- 
mately united ; let us go to the Father through the 
Heart of Jesus ; let us go to the Son through the 
Heart of Mary. Let us render to God the Father, 
through the Heart of Jesus, what we owe to his infi- 
nite goodness and justice ; and let us render to God 
the Son, through the Heart of Mary, what we owe to 
his mercy, and for all his benefits to us. We shall 
obtain everything from the Father and the Holy Ghost 
through the Heart of Jesus, and we shall obtain ev- 
er}' thing from the Son through the Heart of Mary. 
It is customary with many pious persons to dedicate 
the first Saturday in the month to the particular 
honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as the first 
Friday is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To 
this end they hear Mass, and make a spiritual com- 
munion, if they cannot communicate saeramentalry, 
to thank God for all the graces he has bestowed upon 
Mary, and for the tender affection with which he has 
filled her heart towards us. In the evening they visit 

* What is very remarkable, Divine Providence so ordained, that the first 
church dedicated to the Heart of Jesus, was also, at the same time, dedicated 
to the Heart of Mary. This was the church of the Seminaire de Couta?ices, in 
Normandy. In 1688, the Feasts of these Sacred Hearts were celebrated there 
with an Octave, and a society devoted to them established, to which, in 1764, 
Pope Clement X. granted a Brief of Indulgences. 



610 



DEVOTION TO 



some church or altar dedicated to the blessed Virgin ; 
or, if that be impossible, they pay a visit to her im- 
age in their own house, or elsewhere. 

AX ACT OF REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF 
MARY. 



V^/ most pleasing to our Lord, and most intimately 
united to him. I love thee as the Heart of the best 
of mothers, and I rejoice in thy glorious prerogatives. 
Prostrate before thee, O Heart of Mary. I make thee 
this humble act of reparation for all the outrages thou 
hast received from me and from all mankind. I 
humbly confess that I have been guilty of the greatest 
ingratitude towards thee ; but seeing that, through 
thee, the Divine mercy has so often had regard unto 
me, I venture even yet to hope that thou wilt not 
abandon me. In this sweet confidence I am animated 
by a most earnest desire to be more faithful and more 
devoted to thee. I pray thee to accept all the good that 
henceforth I am resolved to do. to present it to thy 
dear Son, Jesus, so that, through thee, my most loving 
Saviour may pour down his benedictions more and 
more on me, and on all who are clear unto me. Amen. 



I COME to the foot of thy altar, O Immaculate 
Heart of Mary, to recall, in the bitterness of my 
soul, the years of my childhood. Faithless to the 
promises which I have so often made to thee. I have 
filled thee with sadness, I have forsaken thy service 
for pleasures which have never brought me a mo- 
ment's happiness. But I detest my fatal errors. I 
come to renew with thee that union which I have 
broken with so much folly and ingratitude. Reject 




honor thee as the Heart 



ANOTHER ACT OF REPARATION. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



611 



me not. Heart of the tenderest of mothers, but be 
henceforth my protector and my model to the hour 
of my death. Amen. 

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF 
MARY. 

O HEART of Mary. I offer. I consecrate to thee 
my heart. It never can be out of danger whilst 
at my own disposal : never secure but in thy hands. 
Thou shalt ever be the object of my veneration, love, 
and confidence : I will pay thee my devotions every 
day ; I will celebrate thy feasts with joy ; I will pro- 
claim thy greatness and thy goodness without ceasing ; 
I will neglect no means of obtaining thee the honor 
and the homage which are due to thee ; I will bring- 
all the thoughts and affections of my heart into con- 
formity with thine ; and I will make it my duty to 
imitate thy virtues, especially thy parity and thy 
humility. 

Vouchsafe. O Mary, to open to me thy Heart, and 
to receive me therein, in union with all thy dear and 
faithful children. Obtain for me the grace I need to 
imitate thee, as thou hast imitated Jesus Christ : suc- 
cor me in all dangers, console me in all afflictions, 
and teach me how to make a holy use of all the 
goods and ills of life. Amen. 

ANOTHER ACT OF CONSECRATION. 

OHEAET of Mary, ever Virgin ; O Heart, the 
holiest, the purest, the most perfect, that the 
Almighty hath formed in any creature ; O Heart, full 
of grace and sweetness, throne of love and mercy, 
image of the adorable Heart of Jesus, that didst love 
God more than all the seraphim, that didst procure 
more glory to the most holy Trinity than all the saints 
together, that didst endure, for love of us, such bitter 



612 



DEVOTION TO 



dolors at the foot of the cross, and dost so justly 
merit the reverence, love, and gratitude of all man- 
kind : I give thee thanks for all the benefits which 
thou hast obtained for me from the Divine mercy ; I 
unite myself to all the souls that find their joy and 
consolation in loving and honoring thee. O Heart 
most amiable, the. delight and admiration of the 
angels and the saints, henceforth thou shalt be to me, 
next to the Heart of Jesns. the object of my tenderest 
devotion, my refuge in affliction, my consolation in 
sorrow, my place of retreat from the enemies of my 
salvation, and at the hour of my death, the surest 
anchor of my hope. Amen. 

PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE TO THE SACRED HEART OF 
MARY. 

O IMMACULATE Heart of Mary, I have nothing 
in myself to otter thee that is worthy of thee ; 
but what thanks ought I not to pay thee for all the 
favors which thou hast obtained for me from the 
Heart of Jesus ! What reparation ought I not to 
make thee for all my tepidity in thy service ! I desire 
to return thee love for love : the only good that I 
possess is the sacred Heart of Jesus, which thou thy- 
self hast given me. I offer thee this treasure of 
infinite price : I cannot do more, and thou dost not 
deserve less at my hands ; but. receiving from me 
this gift most precious in thy sight, be pleased. I be- 
seech thee, to accept my heart, which I here offer to 
thee, and I shall be forever blessed. Amen. 

PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 

Pope Pius VII. granted to the faithful who should recite 
with devotion the following prayer, with the adjoining act of 
praise to the adorahle Hearts of Jesus and Mary : 1. An indul- 
gence of fifty days, once a day. 2. A plenary indulgence on 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



613 



the feasts of the Assumption, the Nativity, and the Sacred 
Heart of Mary,* to all who, having recited it daily for a year, 
shall perform the usual conditions of Confession and Commu- 
nion, and visit a Church, or at least an altar, dedicated to the 
blessed Virgin, and pray there for the intentions of the Pope. 
3. A plenary indulgence at the hour of death, to all who 
shall have recited it frequently during their life. These in- 
dulgences are applicable to the souls in Purgatory. 

O HEART of Mary, Mother of God, and our 
Mother also ; O Heart most worth}' of love, in 
which the most holy Trinity is well pleased ; O Heart 
worthy to be loved and honored by angels and men, 
most similar to the sacred Heart of Jesus, whose clear 
and perfect image thou reflectest ; O Heart of Marj^, 
seat of mercy, full of the bowels of compassion to- 
wards us wretched creatures ; warm, I beseech thee, 
the cold hearts of thy children, and make them hence- 
forth think of nothing, love nothing, desire nothing, 
but only the Heart of Jesus Christ. Infuse into our 
hearts the love of thy virtues, and kindle in them the 
flame of thy unfailing charity. Watch over the 
Church, and continually defend it ; be thou the sweet 
refuge of all faithful Christians ; be thou their im- 
pregnable tower, wherein they may abide secure 
against the assaults of the enemy. Through thee, O 
Pleart of Mary, may we have access to thy Son ; 
through thee may we obtain all graces necessary to 
eternal salvation. Assist us in all straits and ne- 
cessities, comfort us when sorrowful, strengthen us 
when tempted, be thou our refuge in persecution, our 
succor in danger ; but especially at the hour of death, 
in our last mortal agony, when the powers of hell 
assail us, striving to take away our souls, — in that 
terrible day, and at that tremendous hour, on which 
our eternity depends, then, O most compassionate 



* This feast has no fixed day. It is solemnized in some churches with the 
approbation of the Ordinary, on the 8th of February: in others on the 1st of 
June; and in some others on the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption. 



614 



DEVOTION TO 



Virgin, make thy servants feel the goodness of thy 
maternal Heart ; then be mindful, we beseech thee, 
of that power which the Saviour of the world, who 
was born of thee, hath given to thee. Grant us a 
most safe retreat in the very fountain of mercy, that 
one day we may be made worthy to glorify, with thee 
in heaven, the most Sacred Heart of thy dear Son, 
forever and ever. Amen. 

AX ACT OF PRAISE TO THE SACRED HEARTS OF JESUS 
AND MARY. 

MAY the divine Heart of Jesus and the immacu- 
late Heart of Mary be always, and in all places, 
known, praised, blessed, loved, and faithfully honored 
and glorified. Amen. 

ARCH -COX FRATERNITY OF THE SACRED AND IMMACULATE 
HEART OF MARY FOR THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS. 

The Arch-confraternity under this title was established at 
Paris, in the Church of Notre Dame des Yictoires, Decem- 
ber 10. 1£36. It was approved by the Pope, April 24, 
1838, with the privilege of aggregating to itself other similar 
associations. The primary object of the Association is to 
pray for the conversion of sinners and of persons in error; 
and God has been pleased to answer its prayers in a most 
remarkable manner. 

All that is absolutely necessary on the part of each associate 
is. after his name is registered, to recite every day the Hail 
Mary for the intentions of the Association. 

The following pious exercises, though well suited to answer 
the ends of the Association, are not strictly required : 

AN ACT OF OBLATION TO BE RECITED DAILY. 

I OFFER up to God all the thoughts, words, and 
actions of this day. and more particularly all my 
prayers and devotions, through the Holy and Immacu- 



THE SACRED HEART OF START. 



615 



late Heart of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary ; and I 
pray for the conversion of sinners, especially those 
who have been recommended to my prayers, and for 
the sanctification of all in this community. 

Mary, refuge of sinners, pray for us. 

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who 
have recourse to thee. Hail Mary. 

It is recommended further: 1. To communicate once a 
month. 2. To recite the Rosary once a week ; both for the 
intentions of the Association. 3. To wear, as a badge, the 
Medal of the Immaculate Conception, or the Miraculous 
Medal. 4. To say often the Prayer of St. Bernard to the 
Blessed Virgin. 

The plenary indulgences gTanted to the associates, by com- 
plying with the usual conditions, are : 

1. On the day of admission. 

2. At the hour of death. 

3. On the Sunday before Septuagesima. 

4. On the feast of Our Lord's Circumcision. 

5. On the feasts of the Purification, Annunciation, 
Assumption, Conception, Dolors, and Nativity of our 
blessed Lad}'. 

6. On the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, 
January 25th. 

7. On the feast of St. Mar}' Magdalene, Julv 
22d. 

8. On any two days of the month, which each one 
may select. 

9. On the anniversary of their baptism. 

There is also an indulgence of five hundred days for all the 
members and other persons avuo assist at the Masses celebrat- 
ed on Saturdays, in honor of the Holy and Immaculate Heart 
of Mary, in the Church or Chapel of the Confraternity, and 
ttiere pray for the conversion of sinners. 

The benefits of the Association extend beyond this life ; 



616 



DEVOTION TO 



for a Mass is celebrated for the deceased members at Notre 
Dame des Victoires on the first Saturday of every month. 

Considerations. 

1. The Son of God died to save sinners, and we 
cannot imitate his charity more agreeably to him than 
by ever aiming at the same object. 

2. Prayer is the most powerful means of drawing 
down from God the grace necessary for this object, 
and it is, moreover, in everybody's power. 

3. No intercession is so effectual as that of the 
blessed Mother of God ; let us therefore seek it. 

4. But then we must show true devotion towards 
her, by imitating her virtues, particularly the purity 
of her heart. 

5. The good example, which we shall thus give, 
will greatly forward the end of the Association. 

6. Let all the members, therefore, encourage one 
another in diligence, in virtue, in devout exercises, 
especially in frequenting the Sacraments, and ever 
discourage all sin and irregularit}', whether in word 
or work. 

OFFICE OF THE SACRED AXD IMMACULATE 
HEART OF MARY. 

At Matins. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary. * 
M. Inflame our hearts with the love with which 
you burn for Jesus. 

V. O Lord, open thou my lips. 
R. And my tongue shall announce thy praise. 

"F". Incline unto my aid. 

M. O God. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Gloiy be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. * 

* From Septuagesima Sunday until Easter, instead of " Alleluia, " say, 
u Praise be to thee, Lord, King of eternal glory!" 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



617 



HYMN. 

WE sing the seat of Mary's love, 
That Heart, to bless which Heaven above 
And Earth below alike rejoice : 
Come, Jesus, aid our feeble voice. 
What sweeter gift does God impart 
Than Mary's sweet and Virgin Heart? 
What nobler object of our love 
In earth below or heaven above ? 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage, Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 

Anthem. — I love them that love me, and the}' that, 
in the morning early, watch for me. shall find me. 
With me are riches and glory, glorious riches and 
justice ; that I may enrich them that love me, and 
may fill their treasures. — Pro v. viii. 17. 

T 7 *. Heart of Mary, inflamed with the love of Jesus. 
H. Make my heart burn with that love with which 
you are consumed. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD of clemency, who hast been pleased, 
that, for the salvation of sinners and the pro- 
tection of the miserable, the Immaculate Heart of 
Mary should be, in charity and mercy, the most 
perfect image of the divine Heart of her Son. Jesus 
Christ ; grant that we, who celebrate the memory 
of this most sweet and loving heart, may, by its 
intercession and merits, be found conformable to 
the Heart of Jesus ; through the same Jesus Christ, 
our Lord, thy Son, who with thee, in the unity of the 
Hoi}' Ghost, liveth and reign eth, world without end. 
Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

it. And let my cry come unto thee. 



618 



DEVOTION TO 



V. Let us bless the Lord. 
B. Thanks be to God. 

V. And may the souls of the faithful departed, 
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
JR. Amen. 



AT LAUDS. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary. 
JR. Inflame our hearts with the love with which you 
burn for Jesus. 

V. Incline unto my aid, O God. 
JR. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

OHOLY Womb ! O sacred Breast ! 
Pure couth, where Jesus loved to rest, 
And thou, dear Heart, even still more grand, 
Thou wonder of God's mighty hand : 
O Heart, replete with wonders, hail ! 
Our treasure in this earthly vale, 
To thee is given the power to scan 
The wonders of God's love toward man. 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage, Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 

Anthem. — I am the mother of fair love, and of 
fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope ; in me is 
all grace of the way and of the truth ; in me is all 
hope of life and of virtue. — Eccl. xxiv. 24. 

V. Heart of Mary, treasury of all good. 
JR. Pour into the hearts of your servants the riches 
in which you: abound. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



619 



Let us pray. 
God of clemency. &c. 
As before, page 617. 

V. Lord, hear my prayer. 
JR. And let my cry. &c. 
T". Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 
T 7 ". And may the souls, &c. 
H. Amen. 

AT PRIME. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
it. Inflame our hearts with the lore with which 
you burn for Jesus. 

V. Incline unto my aid. O God. 
H. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

NEVER could sin and hell obscure 
The radiance of a Heart so pure ; 
A Heart which Heaven had made the seat 
Of all that's pure, and good, and great. 
To crown it. lilies, robed in white, 
With spikenard and the rose unite ; 
While sweetest fruits of heaven above, 
Surrounded it u languishing with love." 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage, Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 

Anthem. — Blessed is the man that heareth me, 
and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at 
the posts of my doors. He that shall find me. shall 
find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord. — 
Pro v. viii. 34. 



620 



DEVOTION TO 



V. Heart of Mary pierced with a sword of grief. 
JR . Pierce our hearts with that grief which pierced 
y our own. 

Let us pray, 
O God of clemency. &c. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let. &c. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

It. Thanks be to God. 

V. And may the souls, &c. 

It. Amen. 

AT TERCE. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary. 
It. Inflame our hearts with the love with which you 
burn for Jesus. 

V. Incline unto my aid. O God. 
It. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father. &e. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

TEMPLE of Him who made .ill things ; 
Bright palace of the King of kings ; 
Altar of Peace ; mysterious Plant ; 
Ark of the Christian Covenant: 
Fount of unfailing grace thou art 
To all that love thee, glorious Heart : 
And Ocean Star, whence hope and rest 
And comfort beam on the distressed. 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well. 
May all their homage. Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 

Anthem. — Come over to me. all ye that desire me, 
and be filled with my fruits : for my spirit is sweet 
above honey, and my inheritance above honey and 
the honeycomb. — Eccl. xxiv. 26. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



621 



V. most sweet Heart of Mary. 

J?. Replenish our hearts with your divine sweetness. 

Let us pray. 
God of clemency. &c. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 
R. And let. &c. 

T 7 ". Let us bless the Lord, 
i?. Thanks be to God. 

V. And may the souls. &c. 
it. Amen. 

AT SEXT. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
i?. Inflame our hearts with the love with which 
you burn for Jesus. 

V. Incline unto my aid. God. 
JR. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, &e. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

SWEETER than honey; purer far 
Art thou than daylight's glorious star. 
He, whom creation cannot hound, 
In thee, dear Heart, a dwelling found. 
Thou art our model, for we see 
The Saviour's life portrayed in thee : 
Thou rule, which faithful hearts obey, 
Thou flow'ry couch where Jesus lay. 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage, Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 

Anthem. — He that hearkeneth to me. shall not be 
confounded : and they that work by me shall not sin ; 
they that explain me shall have life everlasting. But 
he that shall sin against me shall hurt his own soul ; 



622 



DEVOTION TO 



all that hate me love death. — Eccl. xxiv. 30 ; Prov. 
viii. 36. 

V. Most pure, most humble, and most meek Heart 
of Mary. 

R. Make our hearts like you, pure, humble, and 
meek. 

Let us pray. 
O God of clemency, &c. 

J 7 ! Lord, hear my prayer. 
JR. And let. &c. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 
B. Thanks be, &c. 

V. And may the souls, &c. 
jR. Amen. 



AT XOXE. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
i?. Inflame our hearts with the love with which 
you burn for Jesus. 

F". Incline unto my aid. O God. 
i?. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

HEART which the force of love hath rent; 
Hope of our earthly banishment; 
Light of our steps, joy in our cares, 
Sweetness and solace of our tears ; 
Bright polar Star of those who love, 
Be thou my guide to realms above. 
Furnace of love, may all expire 
The victims of thy sacred fire ! 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage. Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



623 



Anthem, — Place me as a seal upon thy heart, as a 
seal upon thy arm, for love is strong as death. — 
Cant. viii. 6. 

V, Heart of Mary, filled with sorrow for our sins. 
B, Deign to pierce my heart with the like sorrow. 

Let us pray. 
O God of clemency, &c. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 
li. And let, &c. 
F- Let us bless the Lord. 
B. Thanks be, &c. 
J 7 ". And may the souls, &c. 
B. Amen. 

AT VESPERS. 

J 7 ". Immaculate Heart of Mary. 
B. Inflame our hearts with the love with which you 
burn for Jesus. \ 
V. Incline unto my aid, O God. 
B. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, &c. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

OHOW the Heart of Mary burns ! 
Untired, unchanged, in love — it turns 
With ceaseless breathings of desire, 
Toward Jesus' Heart, its sacred fire. 
The chains of love, which Jesus threw 
Hound his own Hearty bind Mary's too. 
Living by love, both breathe tbe same 
Unchanged, unconquerable flame. 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage, Jesus, send 
To thee, for ages without end. Amen. 



Anthem, — amiable Mother, all generations shall 
call thee blessed) ■_ because God has regarded j&e hu- 



624: 



DEVOTION TO 



mility of thy Heart, and has found it according to 
his own Heart. 

T 7 ] Heart of Mary, most like to the Heart of Jesus. 
B. Give us hearts according to the Heart of Jesus. 

Let us pray. 

O God of clemency. &c. 

V. O Lord, hear mv prayer. 
B. And let, &c. 
V, Let us bless the Lord. 
B. Thanks be. &c. 
V. And ma}* the souls. &c. 
B. Amen. 

AT COMPLIN. 

V. Immaculate Heart of Mary. 
B. Inflame our hearts with the love with which you 
burn for Jesus. 

V, Convert us. O God our Saviour. 
7?. And avert thine anger from us. 

V. Incline unto my aid. God. 
B. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

Glory be to the Father. &c. Alleluia. 

HYMN. 

HEART of the best of Mothers! hear 
The voice of thy poor suppliants' prayer. 
Grant to our hearts. O Heart divine, 
Some portion of that love of thine. 
Mary, be this heart our stay 
Till death shall call our souls away 
From this frail dust : then, ere we part, 
Hide us. Mary, in thy Heart ! 
Through that pure Heart where thou didst dwell, 
That Heart that loved thine own so well, 
May all their homage, Jesus, send 
Xo thee, for ages without end. Amen. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



625 



AntJiem. — admirable Mother, may all nations 
magnify thee ; and may every people for ever bless 
the virtues of thy most faithful Heart. 

J 7 ". Heart of Mary, most perfect model of all vir- 
tues. 

it. Obtain for our hearts the love of every virtue, 

Let us pray. 
God of clemency, &e. 

J 7 ". O Lord, hear my prayer. 
R. And let. &c. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
B. Thanks be to God. 
J 7 ! And may the souls, &c. 
H. Amen. 



THE LITANY OF THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercv on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 
Heart of Mary, 

Heart of Mary, according to the Heart of Jesus, 
Heart of Mary, united to the Heart of Jesus, 
Heart of Mary, Sanctuary of the Holy Ghost, 
Heart of Mary, Temple of the Divinity, 
Heart of Mary, Tabernacle of the Word incar- 
nate, 

40 



626 



DEVOTION TO 



Heart of Mary, always exempt from sin, 
Heart of Mary, always full of grace. 
Heart of Mary, blessed among all hearts, 
Heart of Mary, illustrious throne of glory. 
Heart of Mary, abyss and prodigy of humility. 
Heart of Mary, glorious holocaust of divine love, 
Heart of Mary, nailed to the cross of Jesus, 
Heart of Mary, comfort of the afflicted, 
Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners, 
Heart of Mary, hope of the agonizing, 
Heart of Mary, seat of mercy. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Spare Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Hear us, Lord. 
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, 

Have mercy on us. 

V. Pray for us. holy Mother of God. 
_ B. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

O DIVINE JESUS, who tenderly lovest the most 
holy of virgins, and art reciprocally loved by 
her, grant, we beseech thee, through the intercession 
of thy blessed Mother, and by the resemblance her 
sacred Heart bore to thine, that we may ever return 
due love and affection for her care and tenderness in 
our regard, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. 



ACTS OF DEDICATION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

All the faithful, who recite the following three Acts of Dedi- 
cation to the blessed Virgin Mary, to obtain her patronage in 
the practice of all virtues, and particularly that of Charity and 
Purity, may gain an indulgence of one hundred days each 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



627 



time; and those who say these Acts daily for a month, may 
gain a plenary indulgence at the end of the month, on any day 
chosen by themselves, provided they comply with the usual 
conditions, and pray according to the pious intentions of his 
Holiness. These indulgences are applicable to the suffering 
souls in Purgatory. 

MOST holy Virgin, elevated in heaven above 
all the angels and saints. I honor thee with 
my whole heart, as the daughter of the eternal Fa- 
ther, and I consecrate to thee my soul with all its 
powers. 

Hail Mary. ccc. : [once.'] 

2. Most holy Virgin, elevated in heaven above all 
the angels and saints. I honor thee with my whole 
heart, as the Mother of the only-begotten Son of 
God. and I consecrate to thee my body with all its 
senses. 

Hail Mary. &c. : [once.] 

3. Most holy Virgin, elevated in heaven above all 
the angels and saints. I honor thee with my whole 
heart, as the beloved Spouse of the Holy Ghost, and 
I consecrate to thee my heart with all its affections, 
beseeching thee to obtain from the most Holy Trinity 
all the graces necessary for my salvation. 

Hail Mary, &c. ; [once.] 

A XOEXING AND EVEXIXG- DEVOTION TO THE 
BLESSED VIRGIN. 

Pius VI.. on April 5th. 1786, approved of the following 
prayers, and granted to the faithful, who recite them, one in 
the morning, the other in the evening, a hundred days indul- 
gence on week-days : and on Sundays, seven years and seven 
quarantines. To those who recite these prayers daily, he 
granted for ever, a plenary indulgence to be gained on two 
Sundays of each month, chosen by themselves, provided they 
confess and communicate, and pray for the pious intentions 
of the Sovereign Pontiff. 



628 



DEVOTION TO 



Moreover, a plenary indulgence on the festivals of the 
blessed Virgin, and on the solemnity of All Saints, on the 
same condidons. 

Finally, a plenary indulgence, at the point of death, to those 
who practised this devotion during life, provided they confess 
and receive, or at least be contrite of heart, at that awful 
hour. 

This devotion is practised in order to repair, in some man- 
ner, the offences committed against the homage due to Mary, 
the Mother of God, and to the saints, and to protect and in- 
crease the veneration of their sacred pictures. 

In the morning say : 

HAIL, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, 
our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we 
cry. poor banished children of Eye. to thee do we send 
up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of 
tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes 
of mercy toward us ; and after this our exile is 
ended, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, 
Jesus. O clement. O pious. O sweet Virgin Mary. 
Pray for us. O holy Mother of God. that we ma}' be 
made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

T. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O Sacred 
Virgin. 

R. Giye me strength against thy enemies. 
V, May God be blessed in all his saints. 
R. Amen. 

In the evening say : 

AVe fly to thy patronage. holy Mother of God ; 
despise not our petitions in our necessities, but 
deliver us from all dangers, O ever glorious and 
blessed Virgin. 

V. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, Sacred 
Virgin. 

R. Give me strength against thy enemies. 
V May God be blessed in all his saints. 
R. Amen. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



629 



SANCTIFYING THE MONTH OF MAY IN HONOR OF THE 
BLESSED "VIRGIN. 

The devotion of sanctifying the month of May, in honor of 
the blessed Virgin Mary, is in use at Rome, and in many 
countries, not only in private families, but also publicly in the 
c! lurches. To encourage Christians to practise this devotion, 
so pleasing to her, and so profitable to the faithful, Pope Pius 
VII. granted three hundred days' indulgence, to be gained 
each day of said month, by those who, in public or private, 
will honor the Blessed Virgin Mary by some particular act of 
veneration, devout prayers, or practices of virtue. He granted 
them like-wise a plenary indulgence on any day of that month 
chosen by themselves, provided they approach the holy sacra- 
ments of penance and the blessed Eucharist, and pray for the 
Holy Catholic Church, and according to the pious intentions 
of the Sovereign Pontiff. 

These indulgences are applicable to the holy souls suffering 
in Purgatory. 

See u The Month of Mary," or, "The Graces of Mary." 



THE DEVOTION OF THE ANGELUS. 

Benedict XIII. granted to all Christians an indulgence of 
one hundred days, each time they say devoutly and .with con- 
trite heart, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, the 
well-known devotion. Angelus Domini, &c, or, The Angel of 
the Lord. &c, with three Hail Marys. 

To those who say the Angelus three times a day for a month 
he granted a plenary indulgence, on any day within the month, 
chosen by themselves, provided they confess and communicate, 
and pray for the wants of the Church. These indulgences are 
not suspended in the year of Jubilee. 

The Angelus must be said standing on Saturday evening, 
and on Sundays, and during the paschal time, that is, from 
Holy Saturday to Trinity Sunday, in honor of the resurrection 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

During the paschal time, the Regina Ccdi, or, Rejoice, O 
Queen, with its versicle and prayer, are to be said instead of 
the Angelus; but those who do not know the Regina C&U by 
heart can gain the indulgences even during that time, by say- 
ing the Angelas as usual. 



630 



DEVOTION TO 



Note. — In Catholic countries, and in convent?, the bell 
rings morning, noon, and evening, when the Angelas is said ; 
hut this condition is not required where such a custom does 
not exist. 

THE ANGELUS DOMINI. 

V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, 
it. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. 

Hail Mary. &c. ; [once.] 
V. Behold the Handmaid of the Lord. 
R. May it be done unto me according to thy word. 

Hail Mary. &c. : [once.~\ 
V. And the Word was made flesh. 
R. And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary, &c. ; \_once.'] 
V. Pray for us. O holy Mother of God. 
R. That we ma}' be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Prayer. 

POUR forth, we beseech thee. O Lord, thy grace 
into our hearts ; that we. to whom the incarna- 
tion of Christ thy Son was made known by the mes- 
sage of an angel, may by his passion and cross be 
brought to the glory of his resurrection ; through the 
same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

During paschal time say : 

Rejoice. O Queen of Heaven, to see. Alleluia. 

The sacred Infant, born of thee. Alleluia. 

Rise, according to his word. Alleluia. 

Pray for us unto the Lord. Alleluia. 
V. Rejoice and be glad. O Virgin Mary. Alleluia. 
R. Because our Lord is truly risen. Alleluia. 



THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



631 



Prayer. 

OGOD. who by the resurrection of thy Son, our 
Lord Jesus Christ, hast been pleased to fill the 
world with joy. grant, we beseech thee, that by the 
intercession of the Virgin Mary his Mother, we may 
obtain the joys of eternal life ; through the same 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

Anthem. — This is the branch in which was found 
neither knot of original, nor bark of actual sin. 

V. In thy conception, O Virgin, thou wast immac- 
ulate. 

P. Pray unto the Father for us, whose Son thou 
didst bring forth. 

Prayer. 

OGOD, who by the immaculate conception of the 
Blessed Virgin, didst prepare a fit habitation 
for thy Son. we beseech thee, that, as by the foreseen 
death of her same Son, thou didst preserve her pure 
from all spot, so likewise grant that we, by her inter- 
cession made free from sin. may attain unto thee ; 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who, with 
thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one 
God, world without end. Amen. 



LITAXY OF THE DOLOROUS VIRGIN MARY. 

This Litany was written by Pope Pius VII., who granted a 
plenary indulgence every Friday to all who recite it with a 
contrite heart on that day. 

LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mere}' on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 



632 DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF MARY. 



God. the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy 
on us. 

God. the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 
Holv Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 
Crucified Mother, 
Sorrowful Mother, 
Tearful Mother, 
Afflicted Mother, 
Forsaken Mother, 
Desolate Mother, 
Mother bereft of thy Son, 
Mother transfixed with the sword, 
Mother consumed with grief, 
Mother rilled with anguish, 
Mother crucified in heart, 
Mother most sad, 
Fountain of tears, 
Sea of suffering, 
Mirror of patience, 
Rock of constancy. 
Author of confidence, 
Refuge of the forsaken, 
Shield of the oppressed, 
Subduer of the unbelieving, 
Comfort of the wretched, 
Medicine of the sick, 
Strength of the weak. 
Harbor of the shipwrecked, 
Allayer of tempests, 
Resource of mourners. 
Terror of the treacherous, 
Treasure of the faithful, 
Eye of Prophets, 



EOSART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



633 



a 



*3> 



the 



Staff of Apostles, 
Crown of Martyrs, 
Light of Confessors, 
Pearl of Virgins, 
Consolation of Widows, 
Joy of all saints, 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of 
world, Spare us, Jesus. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the 
world, Graciously hear us, Jesus. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the 
world. Have mercy on us, Jesus. 

Look down upon us, free us, and deliver us from 
all trouble, by the power of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

O most holy Virgin, imprint thy wounds in my 
heart, that I may read therein sorrow and love : 
sorrow, to endure every sorrow for thee ; love, to 
despise every love for thee. 

Say the Apostles' Creed, Hail Holy Queen, and three Hail 
Marys, in honor of the most holy Heart of Mary. 



THE ROSARY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.* 

IN the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips. 
E. And my tongue shall announce tlry praise. 
V. Incline unto my aid, O God. 
It. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glorv be to the Father, and to the Son, and to 
the Holy Ghost. 

it. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 



* For the many Indulgences, Plenary and Partial, for the llosary, sec Raccolta 
delle Indulgenze. 



634 



ROSARY OF 



From Septuagesima to Easter, "Praise be to thee. O 
Lord. King of eternal glory," is said instead of "Alleluia." 

If the Acts of Faith. Hope, and Charity, have not been 
recited, say : 

I believe in God. the Father Almighty, etc. 
Our Father, etc.; [once.] 
Hail Mary, &c. ; [three times.] 



THE FIVE JOYFUL MYSTERIES. 

To be said on all Mondays and Thursdays, the Sundays of 
Advent, and after Epiphany until Lent. 

THE FIRST MYSTERY. 
The Annunciation. — Virtue: Humility. 
The Meditation. 

LET us consider, in this mystery, how the angel 
Gabriel was sent from heaven to declare to the 
blessed Virgin the choice which God had made of her 
to be the Mother of the eternal Word : how Mary 
receives this announcement with the most profound 
humility, and the Son of God becomes man in her 
womb . 

Our Father, [once.] Hail Mary, [ten times.] 
Glory be to the Father, [once.] 

Hie Prayer. 

I ACKNOWLEDGE thee. O holy Virgin, to be 
truly the Mother of God ; I hail thee, full of 
grace : I repeat with joy the praises first given thee 
Try the angel, and continued after him by the entire 
Church. In becoming Mother to the incarnate Word, 
thou likewise becomest a mother to all the faithful. O 
mayest thou especially be a mother to me. Amen. 



635 



£7ie Visitation. — Virtue: Charity. 

TJie Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery how the blessed 
Virgin went with haste to visit her cousin. St. 
Elizabeth, into the mountains of Judea. where, at 
her arrival. St. John the Baptist, yet unborn, exults 
in the presence of his Eedeemer. and is sanctified in 
"his mothers womb. Our Father, &c. 

TJie Prayer, 

OHOLY Virgin, who in this mystery didst most 
eminently display the humility and charity that 
were within thee, obtain for us of God that our souis 
may be frequently visited by thy Son. and feel some 
of those impressions which his presence once made 
on his blessed precursor. Amen. 

THE THIRD MYSTERY. 
The Xativity of our Saviour. — Virtue: Poverty in Spirit. 

Th e Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery how the Ee- 
deemer of the world was born in a stable, and 
laid in a manger, because there was no room for him 
in the inns at Bethlehem. Let us rejoice in the 
advantages of this humiliation and poverty, and en- 
deavor to practise the lessons he here gives us. Our 
Father, &c. 

The Prayer. 

OVIEGIX Mother of God. we rejoice with our 
whole hearts in the birth of thy adorable Son, 
our divine Eedeemer. Beg of him. we beseech thee, 
that he would now graciously vouchsafe to be spirit- 
ually born in .us, enabling us by his grace to imitate 



636 



ROSARY OF 



the virtues of his childhood. — simplicity, innocence, 
docility. — and his contempt for the vain pomp and 
perishable riches of this world. Amen. 

THE FOURTH MYSTERY. 

The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple. — Virtue : 
Obedience to the Law. 

The Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery how our Lord 
Jesus Christ was presented as an offering to his 
eternal Father in the temple, by the hands of his 
Virgin Mother ; and how holy Simeon, giving thanks 
to God, received him with great devotion into his 
arms. Our Father, &c. 

The Prayer. 

O MOTHER of the Saviour and Light of the 
world, by that love wherewith thou offeredst 
thy Son to the eternal Father, for all mankind, and 
consecratedst thyself to his service, offer me also to 
his divine Majesty, that I ma}' always abide in his 
house, and never depart from his will ; and that, 
during the whole time of my banishment, I may never 
cease to burn with his love. Amen. 

THE FIFTH MYSTERY. 

The Finding of the Child Jesus amongst the Doctors. — Virtue : 
Desire of being united with God. 

The Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery the joy which the 
blessed Virgin must have felt, when, after hav- 
ing lost, without any fault of hers, the child Jesus in 
Jerusalem, and having sought him in much affliction 
during three days, she found him at length in the 
temple, amidst the doctors, hearing them and asking 
them questions. Oar Father, &c. 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



687 



T7ie Prayer. 

OMOST tender Mother of God, comfort of the 
afflicted, we earnestly beseech thee, by thy ex- 
treme delight on finding the child Jesus in the temple, 
after the anguish of having lost him, to obtain for us 
the grace never to lose him by consenting to mortal 
sin, nor to enjoy either pleasure or rest while we 
oblige him, by our transgressions, to withdraw from 
us. Amen. 

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES. 

These five mysteries of the second part, called dolorous or 
sorrowful, are to be said on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout 
the year, and on the Sundays of Lent. 

THE FIRST MYSTERY. 

The Agony in the Garden. — Virtue: Resignation and 
Fidelity to Prayer. 

The Meditation. 

LET ns consider in this mystery onr Saviour in 
the Garden of Olives, prostrate on the ground, 
bathed in a bloody sweat, accepting from his Father's 
hand the bitter chalice there offered to him. Let onr 
prayers, our compunction, and resignation be ani- 
mated by this model. Our Father, &c. 

TJie Prayer. 

MOTHER of God made man to save mankind, 
who didst more sensibly than all his martyrs 
feel the sufferings of thy divine Son, obtain of him 
for us a vehement contrition for our sins, a persever- 
ing fervor in our prayers, and a perfect resignation 
in all adversities. Amen. 



638 



ROSARY OF 



THE SECOND MYSTERY. 
The Scourging. — Virtue: Spirit of Penance. 

The Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery how our Lord 
Jesus Christ, after being derided, calumniated, 
buffeted, and filled with reproaches, was, by Pilate's 
order, most cruelly scourged, and in that mangled 
manner presented to the Jews. Our Father, &c. 

The Prayer. 

O MOTHER of God, whose heart was rent by 
the stripes inflicted on thy Son, we beseech 
thee, by that love which induced him to shed his 
blood and give his life for us, to obtain, by thy inter- 
cession, that we may ever carefully avoid those crim- 
inal pleasures and sensual gratifications to expiate 
which the sacred flesh of our Redeemer was mangled 
in such an inhuman manner. Amen. 



THE THIRD MYSTERY. 
The Crowning with Thorns. — Virtue : Love of Humiliations. 

Tlxe Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery the indignities and 
insults now offered to Jesus Christ. He is de- 
rided as a mock king ; a reed is his sceptre : thorns 
are his crown ; an old purple rag is the robe of his 
royalty. Let his unrepining patience console and 
instruct us under affronts and humiliations. Our 
Father, &c. 

The Prayer. 

OMOST meek and compassionate Virgin , whose 
anguish at these multiplied-outrages could only 
be equalled by the feelings of Him who underwent 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



639 



them, beg. we beseech thee, that we may ever grate- 
fully remember these tender proofs of his love ; that 
his crown of thorns may be our never-failing remedy 
against pride, and his patience under those insults our 
comfort and support in all our afflictions. Amen. 

THE FOURTH MYSTERY. 

The Carrying of the Cross- — Virtue: Christian Use of 
Sufferings, 

The Meditation. 

IET us consider in this mystery our Saviour on 
his way to Mount Calvary, bending under the 
weight of the cross, which was laid upon him for his 
greater torment and humiliation. Let us, as much as 
is in our power, assist him in carrying it by carrying 
our own courageously. Our Father, &c. 

TJie Prayer. 

MOST holy and generous Mother, who didst ac- 
company thy beloved Son even to Calvary, 
feeling, in thy love for him, the heavy weight of his 
cross, obtain, through thy prayers, that we may fol- 
low in the path which his blood has marked out for 
us, and ever cheerfully carry all those crosses which 
his mercy or his justice shall assign to us. Amen. 

THE FIFTH MYSTERY. 
The Crucifixion. — Virtue: Pardon of Unemies. 

The Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery the Son of God 
suspended by nails from the cross, covered with 
wounds, and expiring in bitter agony in the presence 
of his most afflicted Mother. He dies through love 
of us ; he dies that we may live. Our Father^ tfcc. 



640. 



ROSARY OF 



«-■'-- Tlie Prayer. 

O QUEEN of jttartrrs, Victim of sorrow, who, 
motionless and silent at the foot of the cross, 
wert doomed to hear the dying* groans of thy Son,' 
and to mingle thy tears with his blood, transfixed 
with that sword of grief which holy Simeon had an- 
nounced to thee, obtain for us, we most humbly be- 
seech thee, that we may have a lively feeling of the 
sufferings of our Redeemer, that we may hate our sins 
which reduced him to the state in which we behold 
him, that we may learn from his example to pardon 
our worst enemies, and that we may eagerly devote the 
remainder of our lives to his love and service. Amen.. 



THE FIVE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES. 

& ■ v 

These "mysteries are to be said on We'dnfestTays and Satur- 
days throughout the year, and on Sundays from Easter to 
Advent. 

THE FIRST MYSTERY. 
Tlie Resurrection. — Virtue: Lively Faith. 

Tlie Meditation* 

LET us consider in this mystery how onr Lord 
. Jesus Christ, triumphing over death, arose the 
third day in a blaze of glory from' the tomb, thus 
establishing our .faith, and animating us with the 
blessed hope that we, too 1 , sliaH one day arise to im- 
mortal happiness. Our Father, &c. 

° T7ie Prayer, . _ , 

^y|"OST ,holy Mother of God, by those transports 
XVX of joy wherewith thou wert overwhelmed at r 
the resurrection of thy adorable Son, obtain for us,. 
^ife^t^Qp^iP^j that we may- participate; i%jJt^ 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



641- 



glory of his immortal life, and that we may arise from 
the tomb of our sins and evil habits so as nevermore 
to return to them. Amen. 

THE SECOND MYSTERY. 
The Ascension. — Virtue : Hope. 

The Meditation. 

LET us consider in this' mystery how, on the for- 
tieth day after his resurrection, the Son of God" 
ascended into heaven in the presence of his blessed 
Mother and of his disciples, and how he invites us to 
follow him now by the fervor of our desires, if we 
wish to join him hereafter in reality. Our Father, &c. 

The Prayer. 

OHOLY VIRGIN, who didst sigh after thy Son 
in heaven more ardently than all those together 
who had attended him on earth, draw us to him by 
thy powerful intercession, that, disengaged more and 
more from the empty enjoyments of this world, we 
may every day advance in the path that leads to oup 
true and everlasting country. Amen. 

THE THIRD MYSTERY. 
The Descent of the Holy Ghost. — Virtue : Zeal. 

Tlie Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery how our Lord 
Jesus Christ, being seated at the right hand of 
his Father, sent, as he had promised, the Holy Ghost 
upon his apostles, not only endowing them with treas- 
ures of grace for their personal sanctification, but 
enlightening their understanding and inflaming their 
will, to spread throughout all nations the knowledge 
and love of his religion. Our Father, &c> 
41 • 



642 



ROSARY OF 



Tlie Prayer. 

I TAIL, full of grace ! replenished on the day of 
1 Pentecost with a still greater abundance of 
heavenly gifts, look with pity on our innumerable 
wants, and obtain for us some sparks of that sacred 
fire which fell upon thee. that, enlightened by the 
gospel truths, and animated by the ardor of divine 
love, we may ever sensibly feel the influence of the 
Holy Spirit. Amen. 

THE FOURTH MYSTERY. 
The Assumption. — Virtue: Reverence for the Mother of God,. 

The Meditation. 

IET us consider in this mystery how, the period 
^ appointed by the eternal wisdom having at 
length arrived, the blessed Virgin quits the earth, 
and regains the company of her Son. Let us rejoice 
in her inconceivable happiness and dazzling glory, 
begging that she may conduct us by her prayers to 
the same blissful region. Our Father, &c. 

The Prayer. 

MOTHER of love. Advocate of sinners, forget 
not us poor pilgrims, who are journeying 
through this valley of tears, surrounded and assailed 
by so many enemies ; obtain for us, through the 
merits of thy precious death, a detachment from all 
earthly things, the pardon of our sins, and an ardent 
love for thy Son, our Lord and Redeemer, Christ 
Jesus. Amen, 



THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



643 



THE FIFTH MYSTERY. 
The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin. — Virtue : Perseverance* 

The Meditation. 

LET us consider in this mystery how the Son of 
God receives into heaven his most holy Mother, 
assigning her the pre-eminence that was due to her 
merits and dignity, and crowning her with the bright- 
est diadem of glory. Our Father, &c. 

TJie Prayer. 

O GLORIOUS Queen of all the heavenly citizens, 
accept, we beseech thee, this rosary, which, as 
a fragrant garland of roses, we offer at thy feet ; 
obtain for us, during life, the grace of perseverance in 
the paths of virtue ; and, when the hour of our death 
shall arrive, assist us, by th\ powerful intercession, 
to triumph over the temptations of the world, the 
flesh, and the devil, that so we may enter into those 
rapturous joys which God has prepared for all those 
who cease not to love him. Amen. 

SALVE REGIXA. 

HAIL, hoi}' Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, 
our sweetness, and our hope ! To thee do we cry, 
poor, banished children of Eve ; to thee do we send 
up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of 
tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine 
eyes of mercy towards us, and, after this our exile, 
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb — Jesus. 
O clement, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary. 
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 
Ii. That we may be made worth}' of the promises 
of Christ. 



644 



ROSARY OF 



Let us pray. 

OGOD, whose only-begotten Son. by his life, 
death, and resurrection, has purchased for us 
the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech thee, 
that, meditating upon these mysteries in the most 
hoi}' rosary of the blessed Virgin Mary, we may im- 
itate what they contain, and obtain what they prom- 
ise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin, as on page 119. 

CONFRATERNITY OF THE LIVING ROSARY. 

ITS SPECIAL EXCELLENCE. 

TLIE Living Rosary is substantially the same de- 
votion as the ordinary Rosary, it consequently 
possesses all its excellence and advantages, and 
differs from it only in the manner of reciting it. But 
entirely distinct from these, it derives a special excel- 
lence and special advantages from the peculiar man- 
ner in which it is recited. 

In the first place, as the portion of the Rosary 
which each person has to recite, according to the 
rules of the Living Rosary, is so very small, there is 
thereby an inducement for a greater number to unite 
in it. Many allege that the ordinary Rosary is too 
long, and that their occupations and duties allow them 
not time enough to say it. Hence it is that the Ro- 
sary is practised only by a few : in fact, it may he 
said to be confined as a daily devotion to religious 
communities. But when it is divided according to 
the plan of the Living Rosary, amongst a circle of 
fifteen associates, each of whom has to recite only 
one decade, this excuse is at once removed, and hun- 
dreds are disposed to unite in the devotion. What, 
then, is the practical result? The practical result is, 
that for every circle of fifteen, who unite in the Living 



THE BLESSED VTRGUTi 



645 



f Rosary, so many full and entire Rosaries are said 
every day, and said by those who would, perhaps, 
never say a single Rosary by themselves. 

A further advantage of the Living Rosary is. that 
it unites a number of individuals in the holy exercise 
of prayer. This advantage is specially noticed by 
his late Holiness in the Brief approving the devotion. 
"The devotion," observes the Holy Father of the 
faithful. acquiring in some sort increased efficacy 
from such a union of suppliants, it must necessarily 
be more agreeable to God. who. implored by common 
entreaty, is moved to commiseration and favor." 
Every circle comprises a union of fifteen members, 
and we have only to consider a number of such cir- 
cles every day. reciting so many Rosaries; that is. 
every clay commemorating the great and adorable 
mysteries of our faith. tho>e prodigies which divine 
power, goodness, and mercy have wrought for our sal- 
vation: every day addressing the Eternal Father, so 
often in that form of prayer which was dictated by 
his divine Son as most acceptable to him. and most 
suited to our manifold wants : every day imploring 
the patronage and intercession of the Mother of God, 
and uniting with the blessed in heaven in their hom- 
ages of praise and adoration to the most Floly Trin- 
ity. We have only to consider this accumulation of 
devotion and piety, and we must be impressed with 
the highest idea pf its efficacy, with the great Author 
of grace and mercy. In consequence, likewise, of 
this union of prayer which the Living Rosary estab- 
lishes between the members, they are made partakers 
in the merits and fruits of each other's petitions. 
Just as when a number of persons combine to com- 
mit a bud act. each and every individual of the num- 
ber is guilty to the entire amount of culpability 
attached to the crime in which they are joint ly con- 
cerned ; so also when a number of persons unite in 



646 



ROSARY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN". 



an act pleasing to God. each and every one of the 
number is entitled to reward to the full and entire 
extent attached to such an act. In the application 
of this principle to the Living Rosary, how consoling 
and encouraging must it not be to the members to be 
able to assure themselves, that, though they are re- 
quired by the rules of the devotion to recite only one 
decade, they have the full merit of the entire Rosary 
recited by the circle to which they respectively belong. 
Every true Christian, diffident as he should be in the 
merit of his own endeavors, should be delighted to 
join in a devotion wherein he may make up his own 
deficiencies by the merit and efficacy of the prayers 
of others. 

It is not. then, a matter of surprise, that the Su- 
preme Pastor of the faithful, in the plenitude of his 
power as Vicegerent of Jesus C hrist, should be in- 
duced, in consideration of such precious and exten- 
sive advantages, to open the treasury of the Church, 
and to enrich the Living Rosary with the numerous 
indulgences which he has attached to it. In consider- 
ing the number and extent of these indulgences, the 
faithful are furnished with the strongest inducement 
to join in the practice of a devotion, whereby they 
may expiate the temporal punishment which ordina- 
rily remains due to sin. after the eternal punishment 
which it deserved is remitted in the sacrament of 
penance. 

INDULGENCES. 

They who belong to a Society of the Living Rosary, 
and recite the part of the Rosary assigned to them, 
may gain a Plenary Indulgence : 

1. On the first festival after their admission. 

2. On the third Sunday in each month. 

3. On the solemn feasts of Christmas, the Epi- 



THE SCAPULAR. 



G47 



phany, the Circumcision. Easter, the Ascension, Cor- 
pus Christi. Pentecost, and Trinity Sunday ; also, 
upon all the festivals of the Blessed Virgin, provided 
on those days they approach devoutly the sacraments 
cf penance and the holy Eucharist, and offer up some 
prayers in a church. 

These indulgences may be gained by those who are 
lawfully prevented from going to church, provided 
they perform some other work of piety substituted by 
their confessor. 

4. An indulgence of one hundred days, every time 
they recite their part of the Rosary during the week ; 
and an indulgence of seven years and seven times 
forty days, every time they recite it on Sundays and 
festivals. 

The above Plenary Indulgences are applicable to 
the souls in Purgatory. 

N.B. — The Indulgences attached to the recital of the Ro- 
sary, are also attached to the Living Rosary. 



DEVOTION OF THE SCAPULAR. 

THE devotion of the Scapular is almost as ancient as that 
of the rosary, having been established in 12G5, by St. 
Simon Stock, the sixth general of the Order of Carmelites. 
The blessed Virgin appeared to him holding in her hand the 
form of a Scapular, and directed him to institute a pious con- 
fraternity, the members of which would consecrate them- 
selves to her service, and wear her livery. This association 
soon extended itself over the Church, and it has always 
counted among its members a large number of the clergy and 
laity. Almighty God has often favored those who wear the 
scapular with marks of his special protection, and the Holy 
See has given its fullest approbation to it, as we may learn 
from the ample indulgences granted to the association, and 
the establishment of the Eeast of our Lady of Mount Carmel. 
The devotion of the scapular can be established in any place, 
with the permission of the Bishop, who has received the faculty 
from the Holy See. The priest who has been empowered 



us 



THE SCAPULAR. 



by the bishop to confer the scapular, first blesses it. then lays 
it upon the person who is admitted into the confraternity. No 
other condition is necessary in order to participate in its spirit- 
ual advantages. They who wear the scapular, however, should 
endeavor to imitate the virtues of the Mother of God. particu- 
larly her purity, humility, and charity. If practised in this 
spirit, and with fidelity to the conditions above mentioned, 
the devotion cannot fail to be a source of many spiritual h Ris- 
ings to the pious Christian. It is related in the Fourth Book 
of Kings, (chap. 5,) that Naaman the Syrian, who was infected 
with leprosy, was told by the prophet Eliseus, i; G >, wash in 
the Jordan seven times, and thou shait be clean." But lie, 
disdaining the advice, as not being likely to avail him, was 
strenuously exhorted thereto by his servants, in this manner: 
If the prophet had bid thee do some great tiling, thou ought- 
est to have done it; how much rather, then, when he saith to 
thee. Wash, and be clean? I say the same at present, con- 
cerning the sacred habit of the scapular : If our blessed Lady 
had bid us do some great thing, we ought to do it; how much 
rather, then, when she saith, " Wear my Livery, and you shall 
not slitter eternal fire "? If she had enjoined us to make 
great abstinence, to undergo some rigorous mortification, or 
to undertake a long and tedious pilgrimage, with this condi- 
tion, that we should be freed from eternal damnation, from 
the torment of purgatory, and from the many dangerous 
events which easily do befall us in this life, right reason 
would dictate to us that we ought to attempt anything for the 
obtaining of so great a good; how much more, then, when 
she hath annexed these and many other extraordinary graces, 
to the reception only and devout wearing of her holvSiabit of 
the scapular, with a final confidence in her powerful protec- 
tion? But you will, perhaps, with Naaman, object. What can 
such a weak thing avail us as the scapular is? To this I an- 
swer, with the apostle, (1 Cor. i. 27.) "The weak things of 
the world hath God chosen, that he might confound the strong." 
He hath made choice of the weak element of water to wash 
us from original sin, which is so deeply indicated in us by the 
prevarication of our first father Adam, and he hath made use 
of the weak habit of the scapular to produce the most excel- 
lent effects. 

It is no new thing for Almighty God to make use of the 
clothes and garments of saints, in order to the effecting of 
prodigious things. The mantle of the holy patriarch St. Elias 
divided twice the water of Jordan, (2 Kings ii. ;) the shadow 
; of St. Peter cured all diseases, (Acts v. 15;) the handker- 



THE SCAPULAR. 



649 



chiefs and napkin* of St. Paul drove away evil spirit?, and 
healed all sorts of infirmities. (Acts ix. 12.) Nevertheless, 
our Saviour never so frequently concurred with the relics of 
any saints, to the effecting of such like things, as lie has done 
with the sacred habit of his Virgin Mother, which he seems to 
have made choice of that lie may thereby demonstrate to the 
world both the efficacy of her intercession and the height of 
her merits and glory. For, during the last six hundred years, 
ever since the time of St. Simon Stock, most miraculous and 
extraordinary things have been, and daily are done throughout 
the whole Christian world, by the intercession of the most 
blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carrael, and by means of her 
sacred scapular. Hence, if this devotion is not a source of 
abundant spiritual blessings to the Christian, he must attribute 
it to his own negligence, in not duly setting to profit so power- 
ful a means of salvation. 

WHAT THEY WHO WEAR THE HOLY SCAPULAR OF 
MOUNT CARMEL ARE OBLIGED TO DO. 

IX order to gain all the graces and privileges an- 
nexed to the Scapular, two things are necessary : 

1. The Scapular must be received with the ac- 
customed ceremonies from a priest empowered to 
give it. 

2. It must be devoutly worn as a Scapular, that is, 
hanging from the shoulders. When the first one is 
worn out, it may be replaced by another, blessed or 
not. without a new ceremony. 

In order, however, to obtain the privileges of the 
Sabbatine Bull, the following conditions must be 
complied with : 

1. Chastity must be observed according to one's 
state of life. 

2. Those who can read, must recite every day the 
Breviary or the little office of the blessed Virgin, as 
used in the church. Those who are not able to read, 
or who are hindered from saying it. must, instead of the 
office, abstain from the use of flesh meat on Wednes- 
days and Saturdays, and observe the fast days of the 
Church, 



650 



THE SCAPULAR. 



With regard to the condition of saving the office of 
Our Lady, or abstaining from meat, it must be ob- 
served that the members of the Scapular, who wish 
to gain the Sabbatine privilege, are not free to make 
a choice between the abstinence and the office; but 
these obligations may be commuted or changed by a 
confessor who has the faculty for doing so.* 

The Scapular must be worn night and day in the 
manner prescribed. Particular care should be taken 
to wear it at the hour of death, as a distinctive mark 
of the order, and as a safeguard against dangers, be- 
cause w, He who shall die clothed with this habit will 
be preserved from hell-fire. " It is also good to be 
buried with it. 

Children who by the devotion of their parents re- 
ceive the habit, are not obliged to do anything until 
they are seven years old, and yet they may gain the 
Sabbatine privilege. 

The Scapular should be made of two pieces t of 
woollen cloth, of a dark-brown or coffee color, at- 
tached to a double string, so that it may hang over 
the shoulders, one piece on the breast and the other 
on the back. 

It is a pious custom to have a picture of our 
Blessed Lady sewed on a Scapular, or to have the 
initials I.H.S. marked on one piece, and the initials 
I.M.I, on the other ;} but neither the picture nor 
these letters are necessary ; a simple Scapular, without 
either, is sufficient. 

To be a member of the confraternity of the Scapu- 
lar, that is, to be entitled to share in the merits and 
good works of the whole order of Mount Carmel. to 
have a right to the personal indulgences of the con- 

* According to the Rescript of Gregory XVI/, of October 7, 1S40, and 22d of 
January, 184:2. 

t These pieces are each nbout three inches square. 

t I.H.S signifies Jkscs Hominum Sal vator, that is, Jesus the Saviour of 
Men; and I.M.I, signifies Jesus, aLakt, and Joseph. 



THE SCAPULAR. 



651 



fraternity, no particular prayer, fast, or abstinence 
has been prescribed by the Church, so the devout 
client is at liberty to offer to the special Patroness 
of Mount Carmel, any tribute of prayer and praise 
which his devotion may suggest, which, being volun- 
tary, will be the more meritorious. This is the opin- 
ion of all the Carmelites who have written on the 
subject. It is therefore an erroneous idea, though a 
Very general one. that the members should daily re- 
cite seven Our Fathers and seven Hail Marys, in 
order to be entitled to the privileges and indulgences 
of the confraternity. It is true, the members (and 
they only) gain an indulgence of forty days by reciting 
these prayers ; but they are not bound to do so. nor 
do they lose anything but that partial indulgence, by 
not saying them. 

Some persons are deterred from embracing the 
devotion of the Scapular, by the idea that they would 
thereby be obliged either to recite the office of our 
Blessed Lady, or to abstain from meat twice a week ; 
whereas they may be good members of the confrater- 
nity, and enjoy most of the advantages of it. as 
has been already observed, by simply wearing the 
Scapular. 

The recitation of the office, or the abstinence, is 
the condition for gaining the Sabbatine privilege, 
that is. to be released from Purgatory on the first 
Saturday after our death, by the merits and prayers 
of the Blessed Virgin. 

The sick who. as long as they were able, observed 
the conditions for gaining this privilege, are not 
obliged to seek for a commutation. 

The faculty of blessing and giving the Scapular in- 
cludes likewise, in virtue of the Bull of Clement VII., 
the power of giving to the members of the confrater- 
nity the general absolution and plenary indulgence 
of the Order at the hour of death. Should a priest 



652 : 



THE SCAPULAR. 



possessing the above faculty not he at hand, in Unfits 
defect a, any confessor approved of by the Bishop may 
give it. 

It should be distinctly understood, that the obliga- 
tions prescribed in the Confraternity of the Scapular 
do not bind under sin — not even under venial sin — 
if they are neglected without contempt. One is 
thereby only deprived of the graces, privileges, and 
advantages which are attached to each of those duties 
or obligations. The spiritual favors which the mem- 
bers thus forfeit are so considerable that duties which 
are so easy and salutary should be speedily resumed. 

Besides the Scapular of our Blessed Lady of Mount 
Carmel. there are several others, to which likewise 
many graces and indulgences are attached. 

The Scapular of the Seven Dolors. 

The Scapular of the Immaculate Conception. 

The Scapular of the Most Holy Trinity. 

The Red Scapular of our Lord's Passion; and of 
the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. 

And the Four Scapulars given together, by the Re- 
(iemptorist Fathers, to which numerous indulgences 
are attached. 

See the "Golden Book of the Coxfrateexities," found 
at the Catholic book emporium of Messrs. Xoonan & Co., 
Boylston Street, and at other Catholic book-stores. 

PRAYER ON THE OCCASION OF ONE'S RECEPTION INTO 
THE CONFRATERNITY OF THE SCAPULAR. 

THEICE. sacred Virgin Mary. Mother of God, 
I, X. X.. though most unworthy to be registered 
amongst your servants, yet, moved by that goodness 
which the angels admire in you, to an ardent desire 
of honoring, loving, and serving 3*011. do here this 
day. with all possible humility, sincerity, and devo« 
tion, ia the presence . .of my angel guardian and .the 



THE SCAPULAR.. 



whole court of heaven, make choice of you for my 
singular lady, advocate, and mother, firmly purposing 
to honor, love, and serve you. with all filial duty,, 
diligence, and fidelity ; and to procure, as much as 
it shall lie in my power, that all others may do the 
same. I therefore most heartily beseech you, O most 
merciful and compassionate mother, by the precious 
blood which your dearly-beloved Son, my blessed 
Saviour, shed for me in his bitter passion, that you 
will be graciously pleased to receive and admit me 
into the number of your devout clients, as one devoted 
to your perpetual service. 

Be thou favorable to me. O blessed Lady, and 
obtain for me of your all-powerful Son that I may 
so behave myself in all my thoughts, words, and 
actions, as nevermore to think, speak, or act any- 
thing displeasing to his sacred Majesty. 

Grant, furthermore. O my good and gracious moth- 
er, that I may never forget you, nor forfeit this my 
now made promise of honoring, loving, and serving 
you all the days of my life ; that so I may never be 
forgotten,, forsaken, nor abandoned by you, but be 
always protected, aided, and assisted by you, espe- 
cially in the hour of my death. Amen. 



654 



THE SCAPULAR. 



A XOVEXA 

TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY OF MOUNT CAR MEL* 
FOR THE USE OF THOSE WHO WEAR THE , SCAPULAR. 

This pious devotion commences on the solemn feast of the 
blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, and continues nine 
days, that is, until the 24th of July. 

First Day. 

PREPARATORY PRAYER. 

O GLORIOUS Queen of Angels ! most pure and 
ever blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel I 
powerful advocate of all those who wear thy holy 
Scapular ! Faithful protectress of all the servants 
of thy son Jesus Christ ! I, an unworthy sinner, do, 
this day, in the presence of thy beloved Son, my 
Saviour, choose thee for my patroness, that, through 
thy intercession, I may receive from him whatsoever 
grace may be necessary and profitable for me now, 
and at the hour of my death. Amen. 

Our Father, and Sail Mary, [three times.] 

Let us pray. 

OMOST glorious and blessed Virgin Mary of 
Mount Carmel ! I, an unworthy member of tlry 
sacred Sodality, confident however that the Church 
dees not call thee in vain 4k the Eefuge of sinners," 
do beseech thee to make us sensible of the favors 
thou hast conferred upon us by promoting the welfare 
of thy holy Order, that, being truly contrite for past 
offences, we ma}', by thy aid and assistance, break 
the chains of our slavery, and live henceforward in 
the happy liberty of the children of God ; through 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with the Father and the 
Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth one God, world with- 
out encL Amen. 



THE SCAPULAR. 



655 



THE LIT AX Y. 

UXDER thy protection we take our refuge. 
holy Virgin of Mount Carmel, despise not our 
petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all 
dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin. 
For continuation of Litany, see page 119. 

ANTHEM. 

HAIL, flower of Carmel, 
Hail, fruitful vine, 
Hail, ever immaculate Queen, 

In whom all virtues shine; 
O mild Mother, implore thy Son 

To hear our prayers now, 
And at the hour of our death. Amen. 

V. Pray for us. O holy Mother of God. 
JR. That we ma}' be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

O ALMIGHTY and eternal God. who didst adorn 
the holy Order of thy immaculate and ever 
blessed Mother with the glorious title of Carmel, 
grant, propitiously, that those who celebrate her 
solemn commemoration, may. by the assistance of 
thy holy grace, break off their affections from all 
irregular adherence to this world, and place them 
entirely on the enjoyments of thee, who Iiveth and 
reigneth. one God. world without end. Amen. 
Our Father, Hall Mary, Glory be to the Father, &c. 

THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the Mother of fair love," (Eccl. xxiv.) 
says the glorious Virgin Mary of Mount Car- 
mel ; i; will you. my dear child, serve God faithfully 
for all your life, as St. Elias, St. Elisius, St. Albert, 
St. Teresa, St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzis, and an 



656 



THE SCAPULAR. 



infinite number of my blessed children have done : I 
assure you. in the sincerity of a mother, that you shall 
with them enjoy a heavenly beatitude for all eternity : 
and the more to encourage you thereunto, my dear 
child, I assure you. in the language of the Holy Scrip- 
ture, that ' neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor 
hath it as yet entered the heart of man. what God 
hath prepared for those who faithfully keep his com- 
mandments.' " Glory be to the Father, etc. 

"Yes, most dear Mother, both now and all the 
days of my life, will I serve God, and honor you. O 
sacred Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ! and together 
with all the Angels and celestial Spirits in heaven, I 
will bless and praise you. because you have been so 
admirably chosen from all eternity, to be the Mother 
of our divine Redeemer." Hail Mary, Glory be to 
the Father, &c. 

HYMN. 

B EIGHT Mother of our Maker, hail! 
Thou Virgin ever hlest, 
The ocean's Star by which we sail, 
And gain the port of rest. 

"Whilst we this .4rethus to thee, 
From Gabriel's mouth rehearse, 

Prevail that peace our lot may be, 
And Eva's name reverse. 

Release our long entangled mind 

From all the snares of ill ; 
With heavenly light instruct the blind, 

And all our vows fulfil. 

Exert for us a mother's care, 

And thus thy children own ; 
Prevail with him to hear our prayer, 

Who chose to be thy Son. 

O spotless Maid ! whose virtues shine 
With brightest purity, 



THE SCAPULAR. 



657 



Each action of our life refine, 
And make us pure like thee. 

Preserve our lives unstained from ill, 

And guard us in our way, 
That Christ one day our souls may fill 

With joys that ne'er decay. 

To God the Father, endless praise ; 

To God the Son, the same; 
And Holy Ghost, whose equal rays 

One equal glory claim. 

V. Grace is poured abroad in thy lips. 

JR. Therefore hath God blessed thee forever. 

Let us pray. 

GKAXT. we beseech thee. O Lord, that we. thy 
servants, may enjoy health of body and mind, 
and by the glorious intercession of the ever blessed 
Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, be delivered from all 
temporal afflictions, and enjoy eternal bliss, through. 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Second Day. 

The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, as on the 
first day, page G5±. 

Let us pray. 

O ALMIGHTY and eternal God. vouchsafe to 
impart to us. thy unworthy servants, a small 
portion of that heavenly grace with which thou hast 
been pleased to sanctify thy servant Mary : and grant 
that through her intercession and protection, we may 
be shielded against all temptations, and secure from 
all our enemies, through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy 
Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity 
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

The Litany. Anthem, Prayer, &c, as above, page 655. 
42 



658 



THE SCAPULAR. 



THE COLLOQUY. 

" T AM the Mother of divine grace/' says the glori- 
JL ous Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel : " will von, 
my dear child, partake of my greatness as St. Simon 
Stock did, who took so much pleasure in the glorious 
privilege of being called my child, that he would not 
have left nor exchanged the same for all the pleasures 
of this life : wherefore I assisted him by my prayers 
at the awful moment of his dissolution, and conducted 
his soul into the regions of bliss. And I will do the 
like for you. my dear child, if you copy after his ex- 
ample. 1 do assure you that 1 will assist you at 
your death ; although you were on the brink of 
eternal ruin. yet. if you be converted to my Son. he 
will draw you from it. and I will del end you against 
your spiritual enemies." Hail Mary, Glory be to the 
Father. &c. 

"Yes. most pure Mother. I will always rejoice 
at those gifts which Almighty God has bestowed upon 
you. and reverence you. sacred Virgin Mary of 
Mount Carmel ! and. together with all the celestial 
powers, bless and praise you. because you are the 
true mother of Christ Jesus. Son of the Eternal Fa- 
ther." Hail Mary, Glory be, &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. G5G. 

The Third Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p. 054. 

Let us pray. 

REMEMBEK. O most pious Virgin ! it is a thing 
unheard of. that thou ever forsakest those who 
have recourse to thee. Encouraged with this hope 
and confidence, my most dear Mother. I. a miser- 
able sinner, cast myself at thy sacred feet, humbly 



THE SCAPULAR. 



659 



begging that thou wilt adopt me as thy child forever, 
and take upon thee the care of my eternal salvation : 
do not. Mother of the Word incarnate, reject my 
petition, but graciously hear, and grant it. Amen. 

The Litany, Anthem, Prayer, &c., as above, p. 655. 
THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the Mother of God." says the glorious Virgin 
of Carmel : "O how happy are you to be called 
my child ! Hearken, then, to the commandment of 
your mother, and write it in your heart. Will you 
confess and communicate often, according to the 
advice of your spiritual father? St. Teresa and St. 
Mary Magdalen of Pazzis did communicate almost 
every day. whereby they have been admirable in all 
virtue, and have received manna from heaven, the 
true food of the children of God. I do assure you, 
my dear child, in the sincerity of a loving mother, 
that this is the most ready way to become perfect, 
and the surest means for obtaining heaven." Hail 
Mary, &c. 

t4 Yes. my most dear Mother, it is my great desire 
to purify my soul in the blood of my Redeemer, by 
confessing my sins, and communicating often, (and 
especially upon all your feasts and those of your 
blessed Son.) with all diligence and devotion. I do 
reverence you. ever glorious and blessed Virgin of 
Mount Carmel. mother of divine grace : and together 
with the cherubim, bless and praise you. because you 
have been so liberally endowed with all sort of vir- 
tues in the most supreme degree of excellence." 
Hail Mary, Glory he, &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. 656. 



660 



THE SCAPULAR. 



The Fourth Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p. 654. 

Let us pray. 

OMOST glorious and ever blessed Virgin Mary 
of Mount Carmel ! I. thy unworthy child and 
client, sensible of the favors thou enjoy est with my 
God, humbly present myself before thee, and beg that 
you will intercede and obtain for me a true contrition 
and repentance, an undetiled purity of heart, and a 
conscience free from sin. and from every offence dis- 
pleasing to God ; direct me. I beseech thee, in all my 
actions during life, and in that awful moment when 
my poor soul departs from my body, conduct it into 
the presence of thy Son. there to sing his praises for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 

The Litany, Anthem, Prayer, feci, as above, page 655. 

THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM Queen of the Universe." says the glorious 
Virgin Mary 7 of Carmel; "will you, my dear 
child, every day. both morning and evening, make a 
firm purpose, rather to endure any loss or privation 
whatsoever, than to offend your God by mortal sin? 
"Will you imitate the example of the blessed Saints 
who have gone before thee ? If you do. I assure you 
that, at that awful hour of death, when forsaken by 
all your friends, I will conduct your soul into the 
mansions of glory." Hail Mary. <fec. 

64 Yes, most glorious Mother. I do now firmly pur- 
pose, by the grace of thy Son, rather to die a thousand 
deaths than once to offend my God by mortal sin. 
And I do reverence you. O most glorious Virgin of 
Carmel, and with the seraphim, bless and praise you, 
whom I love with my whole heart and soul. Mail 
Mary, Glory be. &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. 656. 



THE SCAPULAR. 



661 



The Fifth Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p. 654. 

Let us pray. 

OMOST glorious Virgin Mother ! who, by favor 
of thy divine Son, hast so great power in heaven 
and on earth, enlighten rny blindness and strengthen 
my resolution. The zeal thou hast in promoting the 
welfare of th}' sacred Order, and the part thou takest 
in seeing the grace of our Redeemer abound in us, 
give me a right to thy interest in this my request ; 
and when that awful hour of deatli approaches, be 
to me, I beseech thee, a tender mother, and by thy 
prayers dispose thy Son Jesus Christ favorably in 
my regard. Amen. 

The Litany, Anthem, Prayer, &c., as above, p. 655. 
THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the Protectress of my children," says the 
glorious Mother of Carmel ; " give me your heart, 
my dear child, and if it be as hard as flint, I will, by 
my intercession, make it as soft as wax ; and if it be 
foul and loathsome, I will render it more clear and 
beautiful than crystal ; give me x our heart, my child, 
and tell me in the sincerity of a true child, how much 
you love me." Hail Mary, &c. 

4 £ O my dear Mother ! I love you more than my 
tongue can express, more than my very soul can con- 
ceive. I reverence you, O sacred Virgin of Mount 
Carmel! I praise and magnify. you whose sacred 
womb bore the Son of the most High God." Hail 
Mary, Glory be to the Father, &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. 656. 



662 



THE SCAPULAR. 



Tlie Sixth Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p. 651. 

Let us pray. 

OMOST glorious and ever Virgin Mary of Mount 
Carcnel! I offer unto you, this day. all my 
thoughts, words, and actions : I am weak and infirm, 
dejected and cast down at every tribulation, and ter- 
rified at the dismal prospect a review of my own inte- 
rior gives me ; all is misery ; a continual propensity 
to vice and repugnance to virtue. Mother of mercy 
and refuge ot sinners ! thou wilt not reject a contrite 
and humble heart; intercede for me. I beseech thee, 
that I may so live in this sinful world, that, at the 
hour of my death, I may be worthy to be admitted 
into the regions of bliss ; through our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
liveth and reigneth one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

The Litany, Anthem, Prayer, &c., as above, p. 655. 
THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the mirror of purity." says the glorious Vir- 
gin Mary of Mount Carmel ; * k will you, my dear 
child, daily examine your conscience, and never sleep 
in mortal sin? It is the way to live in tranquillity, 
and joy of spirit, having always your soul ready in 
your hand to render it up pure to Him who has created 
it to his own image, and redeemed it with his own 
precious blood. I assure you, in the sincerity of a 
mother, that it were better to suffer all the punish- 
ments that can be inflicted in this life, than to sleep 
one night in mortal sin/' Hail Mary. &c. 

^ Yes, my most clear Mother, I will think on my 
sins with bitterness of soul, and examine my eon- 
science every night before I go to rest. I reverence 



THE SCAPULAR. 



663 



you, most glorious Virgin of Carmel ! and together 
with all the blessed in heaven I do praise you, be- 
cause of your powerful intercession, we poor sinners 
obtain of thy Son Jesus all we can ask for." Hail 
Mary, Glory be, &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. 656. 

TJie Seventh Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p. 654. 

Let its pray. 

OMOST holy Mary of Mount Carmel ! pray for 
me, I beseech thee, that through the merits of 
thy Son I may enjoy perpetual health of mind and 
body, and that I may serve him faithfully in this life, 
and hereafter see, love, and enjoy him in the kingdom 
of his gloiy, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. 
Amen. 

The Litany, Anthem, Prayer, &c., as above, p. 655. 
THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the Protectress of all those who place their 
confidence in me," says the glorious Virgin Mary 
of Mount Carmel; " will you, my dear child, do 
something this day in my honor? for you must know 
that I leave nothing, though of ever so little value, 
unrecompensed, which is done in my name ; and I 
assure you, in the sincerity of a mother, that at the 
hour of your death, being abandoned by all your 
friends, you will obtain my assistance and favor." 
Hail Mary, &e. 

wi Yes, my dear Mother, both to-day and all the 
days of my life will I pray to you, and reverence you, 
O most holy Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ! and with 
the celestial court bless and praise you, because you 



064 



THE SCAPULAR. 



have in this world been ever exempt and free from all 
sin, and always wrapped up in heavenly contempla- 
tion." Hail Mary', Glory be, &c. 
The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. 656. 

The Eighth Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p, 654-. 

Let us pray. 

OMOST glorious and ever blessed Virgin Mary 
of Mount Carmel ! protectress of all those who 
wear thy holy scapular, behold thy poor servant, hum- 
bly prostrate at thy feet, deploring his misery and 
imploring thy prayers, and beseeching thee to protect 
him through the boisterous ocean of this tempestuous 
world : hear my prayers, then, O refuge of sinners, 
and after this our exile, show unto its the blessed 
fruit of thy womb. Jesus. O most clement, O most 
pious. O most sweet Virgin Man". 

The Litany. Anthem, Prayer. &c 3 as above, p. 655. 

THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the help of Christians." says the glorious 
Virgin of Carmel : " will you. my dear child, keep 
the commandments of the Church, and call upon me 
in your necessities? If you do. I will assist you, my 
dear child, and assure you. with a heart truly mater- 
nal, that I will plead for you in the time of danger, 
and will avert from you all the anger and indignation 
of my $on." Hail Mary, &c. 

4i Yes. my dear Mother. I will always keep the com- 
mandments of God and of his Church : and although 
I were as perridious as Judas, yet. if you be pleased to 
intercede for me. and assist me by your prayers. I 
shall never despair. And I reverence you. O sacred 
Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ! and together with all 



THE SCAPULAR. 



6G5 



the angels and saints. I. bless and praise yon. because 
yon have been found worthy to be the most faithful 
and humble handmaid of the most Holy Trinity." 
Hail Mary, Glory he, &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. 656. 

The Ninth Day. 
The Preparatory Prayer, Our Father, Hail Mary, p. 654. 

Let us pray. 

O BLESSED finder of grace, Mother of life, 
Mother of salvation ! may we, through you, 
have access to your Son ; and that he who was given 
us through you, may receive us through you. may 
your integrity and innocence excuse before him the 
stain of our corruption ; may your abundant charity 
cover the multitude of our sins, and your glorious 
fruitfulness supply our want of merits. Our mother, 
our mediatrix, our advocate ! reconcile us to your 
Son, commend us to your Son. present us to your 
Son : by the grace with which you are honored, ob- 
tain that he. who through you put on our weakness, 
may through you make us partakers of his bliss and 
glory. Amen. 

The Litany, Anthem, Prayer, &c, as above, p. 655. 

THE COLLOQUY. 

I AM the Queen of Virgins." says the glorious Mary 
of Carmel ; "will you, my dear child, live as an 
angel clad in flesh, as many of my devoted children 
did. who chose to lose their lives rather than lose the 
purity of body and soul? I will love you as I have 
loved them, and pray for you as I have prayed for 
them ; and I assure you. with a heart truly maternal, 
that when you depart this life, you shall enjoy that 



666 



THE SCAPULAR. 



glory which neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, nor 
hath entered the heart of man." Hail Mary, <fcc. 

•* Yes. my most dear Mother. I desire to he pure 
all my life, as well in body as in soul. I beseech you, 
O most merciful Virgin, to assist me by your prayers, 
that through the merits of your Son Jesus. I may ob- 
tain the grace so to live as to be always prepared to 
die. I do here, prostrate before you. O most sacred 
Virgin Mother, bless and praise you ; because you 
have given the example of purity and sanctity to so 
many pious souls that have already followed, and 
hereafter follow you, in so glorious a vocation." 
Hail Mary, Glory be, &c. 

The Hymn and Prayer, as above, p. G56. 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



LITANY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



LORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy 
on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God. have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary. Spouse of St. Joseph, 
St. Joseph, chosen of God to be the spouse of 
Mary. 

St. Joseph, filled with the blessing of heaven. 

St. Joseph, first among the patriarchs. 

St. Joseph, a helper given to Mary like unto j 5 
herself, j |j 

St. Joseph, the virgin consort of a Virgin j- v. 
Mother, I ^ 

St. Joseph, comfort of the Mother of God, I § 

St. Joseph, son of David. 

St. Joseph, after Mary, first adorer of Jesus j 
infant. 

St. Joseph, the reputed father of the Son of | 
God, J 



667 



668 DEV0TI0XS TO ST. JOSEPH. 

St. Joseph, whom the Lord made master of ' 
his house, and ruler of his possessions. 

St. Joseph, ruler of the Lord of the universe, 

St. Joseph, governor of incarnate Wisdom. 

St. Joseph, nursing father to Him by whom all 
creatures live. 

St. Joseph, organ of the divine Word reduced 
to silence. 

St. Joseph, savior of the Saviour of mankind, j 

St. Joseph, pattern of silence and resignation, i 

St. Joseph, head of the most noble and most j 
holy family. ^ 

St. Joseph, honored and served by the King J 
and Queen of heaven. . ^ 

St. Joseph, singularly beloved by Jesus and i 
Mary. | 

St. Joseph, just and perfect man. 

St. Joseph, accomplished model of an interior j 
life. 

St. Joseph, blessed with the happiness of dying | 
in the arms of Jesus and Mary. 

St. Joseph, piously believed to have risen with i 
Jesus Christ. 

St. Joseph, seated on a throne of glory near | 
those of Jesus and Mary. 

St. Joseph, special protector of dying Chris- I 
tians. J 

Lamb of God. &c. : [three times.] 

V. Pray for us. holy St. Joseph, 
i?. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Assist us. O Lord, we beseech thee, by the merits 
of the spouse of thy most holy Mother, that what our 
own power cannot obtain may be given us by his 
intercession — who livest and reignest. world without 
end. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



6G9 



NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH. 

DIRECTIONS FOR EACH DAT OF THE NOVENA. 

Begin with the litany of the saint, pages 667, 668; say one 
of the following prayers; recite the Our Father, and the 
Hail Mary, three times; and conclude by the oblation, 
Holy Joseph^ $c 3 p. 67i. 

On the First Day. 

BLESSED St. Joseph, bom to "be the guardian of 
Jesus, the protector and consoler of Mary, make 
powerful intercession for me. that my pious resolu- 
tions may not prove abortive : that I may be born to 
an interior and spiritual life : that I may have such 
an increase of sanctity, so ardent a love of purity, so 
great a conviction of my own vileness. so clear a light 
of the emptiness and vanity of worldly grandeur, as 
to esteem and relish only things that are eternal, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, ccc. &c. 

On the Second Day. 

OMNIPOTENT Creator, whose unerring provi- 
dence adds joy every moment to the angels in 
heaven, and to the saints upon earth. I most humbly 
beg. through the intercession of St. Joseph, that I 
may cheerfully acquiesce and rejoice in everything 
that comes from thy fatherly hand : that I may be 
vigorous in executing thy divine will, and glorify 
thee in my present state. Grant me the true spirit 
of mortification, to subdue my stubborn passions, to 
satisfy for what is past, and to be a preservative from 
future dangers. Grant that, by purity of intention, 
the meanest of my actions may be acceptable to thee, 
as was the mite of the poor widow which was put into 
the treasury of the temple, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



670 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



On the Third Day. 

OMNIPOTENT God, at whose command every 
tree produced fruit of its kind, grant, through 
the intercession of Mary and Joseph, that I may 
serve thee faithfully in the state in which thou hast 
placed me. I firmly believe all thou hast revealed : 
protect me, lest I should be found among the number 
of those foolish virgins who carried lamps without oil. 
Assist me with thy powerful grace, that I may be 
humble, charitable, and chaste, and not be like the 
barren fig-tree, fit only to become fuel for eternal 
flames. This grace I implore through the infinite 
merits of Jesus, my Saviour. Amen. 

On the Fourth Day. 

HOLY GHOST, God of all comfort, if thou seest 
it expedient for the security of my salvation 
that I should be oppressed with tribulation, permit 
me not to fall. Infinite Power, bear me up : thou 
knowest my weakness. Favor me with thy grace, 
that I may be compassionate towards my neighbor, 
and govern myself with the same spirit of lenity and 
charity as if the case were my own. I deplore my 
censorious temper, and resolve to be upon my guard. 
I return thee thanks for inspiring me with the resolu- 
tion of becoming better ; but of myself I am not able 
to persevere in my good intentions. I beg thy assist- 
ance, that I may fulfil what thou commandest ; and 
then, dear Lord, command what thou pleasest. Afflict 
me with such crosses as I can endure, that I may dis- 
charge at least a part of the great debt due to the divine 
justice. Grant, through the intercession of St. Joseph, 
that, after my temporal trials, whether exterior or inte- 
rior, I may find that permanent joy with which thou ren- 
derest him and his immaculate Spouse eternally happy, 
through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. Amen. 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



671 



On the Fifth Day. 

O INFINITE God, how truly may it be said of 
me, The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass 
his master's crib ; but thou knowest not thy Lord ! 
I admire thy love and charity ; I am ashamed of my 
tepidity and ingratitude. Infinite Goodness. I come 
too late to love thee ; but, although it be the eleventh 
hour, bestow on me the promised reward ; be to me 
a Saviour. Thou who hast bled for me, let me par- 
take of thy eternal charity. Grant that, through the 
intercession of St. Joseph, my good resolutions may 
be perfected. I also beg that, when I entertain thee 
in the most blessed sacrament, I may be favored with 
the same sentiments of adoration, love, and thanks- 
giving that St. Joseph experienced when he received 
thee from Simeon, to restore thee to th}- blessed 
Mother. Amen. 

On the Sixth Day. 

JESUS, my Maker and my Master, without whose 
merciful assistance I walk in darkness, and per- 
ish, I most humbly beg. through the intercession of 
St. Joseph, that thou wilt grant me grace to escape 
from the servitude of sin under which I have so 
long groaned, in order that I ma}' enjo}' the liberty 
of thy faithful servants. I have frequently experi- 
enced tlry goodness, and I know thy power ; my trust 
is in both. O, grant me constancy to despise the 
allurements of the world, and to remain undaunted 
under afflicting terrors. My dear Redeemer, I have 
too often lost thee b}' sin ; I have willingly and wil- 
fully parted with thee, to follow my corrupt inclina- 
tions. O God. who didst come to seek sinners, take 
pity on me, who am the greatest. Thou art now 
pleased to bless me with such a true sense of my for- 
mer offences, that I grieve not so much for the fear 



672 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



of punishment as for the misfortune of having offended 
thee, the centre of all goodness. 

I steadfastly purpose, through thy grace, to seek 
thee seriously by the reformation of my life, that I 
may find thee in the heavenly Jerusalem, reigning 
with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world with- 
out end. Amen. 

On the Seventh Day. 

OMNIPOTENT God. who descended from heaven 
to bring fire on the earth, inflame my frozen heart, 
that I may imitate the virtues of St. Joseph. As a 
poor wretch at the gate of some noble and generous 
prince, expecting an aims, so I appear before thee, 
wounded in all my senses by sin. and imploring char- 
ity in my great distress. I grieve for what is past, 
not because I fear, but because I love. Nothing has 
succeeded with me. because I never consulted thee as 
I ought. I hope. O Lord, that I do not come too late. 
I beg. through the intercession of St. Joseph, that I 
may avoid evil, and do good : that I may leave the 
broad way of iniquity, and walk in the narrow road 
that leads to eternal happiness ; that I may consecrate 
the remaining days of my short lite to thy honor, and 
attain the end for which I was created — to admire, 
praise, and love thee forever and ever. Amen. 

On the Eighth Day. 

OMOST glorious Patriarch, my dear patron, 
blessed are the eyes that see what you now 
see. Through the infinite merits of Christ, and by 
your powerful intercession. I hope, with holy Job, 
that in my flesh I shall see God my Saviour. Stretch 
out in favor of your unworthy client those happy arms 
that so often bore the Son of God. and provided for 
him . Petition that I may live, as I wish to die. al- 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



673 



ways in the divine favor. I humbly implore you to 
entreat your immaculate Spouse to unite her suppli- 
cations with yours, that I maybe of the Messed num- 
ber of the elect. I most sincerely desire that you may 
be present at the dreadful hour of my death, and that 
the last words uttered by my parting breath may be 
Jesus. Mary- and Joseph. 

Thy mercy is above all thy works. O most holy 
Trinity. I now appeal from the tribunal of thy jus- 
tice, and prostrate nrysclf before the throne of thy 
mercy, to obtain the pardon of my sins, and grace to 
persevere in keeping thy commandments to the end 
of my life ; who livest and reignest one God, forever 
and ever. Amen. 

On the Ninth Day. 

HOLY St. Joseph, you who are that good and 
faithful servant to whom God committed the 
care of his family ; whom he appointed guardian and 
protector of the life of Jesus Christ, the comfort and 
support of his holy Mother, and the depositary of his 
great design of the redemption of mankind : you who 
had the happiness of living with Jesus and Mary, and 
of dying in their arms : chaste spouse of the Mother 
of God ; model and patron of pure souls, humble, 
patient, and reserved. — be moved with the confi- 
dence we place in your intercession, and accept with 
kindness this testimony of our devotion. 

TTe give thanks to God for the signal favor he 
hath been pleased to confer on you : and we conjure 
him. through your intercession, to enable us to imitate 
your virtues. Pray for us. then. great Saint, and 
by that love which you had for Jesus and Mary, and 
by the love which they had for you. obtain for us the 
incomparable happiness of living and dying in the 
love of Jesus and Mary. Amen. 
43 



674 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



A VOTIVE OBLATION TO ST. JOSEPH ; TO CHOOSE 
HIM TOR OUR PATROX. 

OHOLY JOSEPH, virgin spouse of the Virgin 
Mother of God. most glorious advocate of all 
such as are in danger or in their last agony, and 
most faithful protector of all the servants of Mary, 
your dearest spouse. I. X.. in the presence of Jesus 
and Mary, do, from this moment, choose you for my 
powerful patron and advocate, in order that I may 
obtain the grace of a most happy death. I firmly 
resolve and purpose never to forsake you, nor to say 
or do anything against your honor. Eeceive me. 
therefore, for your constant servant, and recommend 
me to the constant protection of Mary, your dearest 
8pouse, and to the everlasting mercies of Jesus my 
Saviour. Assist me in all the actions of my life. I 
now offer them to the greater and everlasting glory 
of Jesus and Mary, as well as to your own. 



THE CHAPLET OE ST. JOSEPH. 
TN the name of the Father. &c. 

V. Thou. Lord, wilt open my lips. 

R. And my tongue shall announce thy praise. 

V, Incline unto my aid. God. 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

Glory be to the Father. &e. 

On the large beads, say the " Glory be to the Father." &c., 
and the ; - Our Father: " and on the small beads. tc Glorious 
Patriarch St Joseph, foster-father of Jesus, and spouse of the 
ever immaculate Mother of God. pray for us now and at the 
hour of our death ; " and finish the chaplet by saying. Pray 
for us. O holy St. Joseph, that we may be made worthy of the 
promises of Christ," and the prayer which the holy Church 
makes use of in her divine office, "Assist us. O Lord, by the 
intercession," &c., as at the end of the Litany of St. Joseph. 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



675 



Another method of reciting the Chaplet of St. Joseph. 

It is s;iid as above, except on the large beads is recited the 
" Hail Mary," instead of the -'Our Father;" and on the small 
beads, instead of ;i Glorious Patriarch," &c is said. ,; Jesus, 
Mary, and Joseph, assist us now and at the hour of our death." 

PRAYERS. 

EXERCISE IX HONOR OF THE SEVEN SORROWS AND 
THE SEVEN JOYS OF ST. JOSEPH. 

I. 

CHASTE Spouse of the Holy Mother of God. by 
the sorrow with which thy heart was pierced at 
the thought of a cruel separation from Mary, and by the 
deep joy that thou didst feel when the angel revealed 
to thee the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, 
obtain for me from Jesus by the heart of Alary, the 
grace of surmounting all anxiety which might trouble 
the repose of my soul, with that of drawing from the 
adorable heart of Jesus the unspeakable peace of 
which he is the eternal source. 

Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri. 

ii. 

FOSTER-FATHER of Jesus, by the bitter sad- 
ness which thy heart experienced in seeing the 
Child Jesus lying in a manger, and by the joy which 
thou didst feel in seeing the TTise Men recognize and 
adore Him as their God. obtain by thy prayers that 
my heart, purified by thy protection, may become a 
living crib, where the Saviour of the world niay 
receive and bless my homage. 

Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri. 

in. 

OTHOU to whom God confided his only Son. by 
the sorrow with which thy heart was pierced at 
the sight of the blood which flowed from the Infant 



676 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



Jesus, under the cruel knife of the circumcision, and 

by the joy that inundated thy soul at thy privilege of 
imposing the sacred and mysterious name of Jesus, 
obtain for me that the merits of this precious blood 
may be applied to my soul, and that this divine name 
may be engraved forever in my heart. 

Pater. Ace. Gloria Patri. 

IV. 

AUGUST Minister and holy Confidant of the 
Holy Ghost, by the cruel agony by which thy 
heart was torn when the Lord declared that the soul 
of Mary should be pierced with a sword of sorrow, 
and by the joy that thou didst afterwards experience 
when the holy Simeon added that the Divine Infant 
was to be the resurrection of many, obtain for me the 
grace to compassionate the sorrows of Mary, and 
have part in the salvation which Jesus brought on 
the earth. 

Pater. Are. Gloria Patri. 

v. 

GLORIOUS Ambassador of the Most Holy Trin- 
ity, by the extreme atfiiction laid upon thy 
heart, by the order to fly into Egypt, and by thy joy 
in seeing the idols overthrown at the arrival of the 
living God ; grant that, all impressions of sin being- 
destroyed in my heart, the empire of my passions 
may be likewise annihilated. 

Pater. Ace. Gloria Patri. 

VI. 

AXGEL of the earth, glorious St. Joseph, who 
sawest with admiration the King of Heaven 
submitting to thy orders, the consolation that thou 
didst experience in bringing him back from Egypt 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



077 



was soon troubled by the fear of Archelaus. But 
reassured by the angel of the Lord-, thou didst abide 
with joy at Nazareth in the company of Jesus and 
Mary : obtain for us by this joy and this sorrow, 
that, disengaged from all fear, we may enjoy the 
peace of a good conscience, and may live in security, 
in union with Jesus and Mary, experiencing the effect 
of thy salutary assistance at the hour of our death. 
Pater „ Ace. Gloria Pa.tri. 

VII. 

FAITHFUL Coadjutor of the great counsel, by 
the bitter sorrow with which the loss of the Child 
Jesus crushed thy heart, and by the lively and holy 
joy which inundated thy soul in recovering thy treas- 
ure on entering the temple. I conjure thee not to per- 
mit me to lose for a moment my Saviour. Jesus : yet 
should this misfortune befall me. grant that I may 
share thy eagerness in seeking Him. and obtain for 
me the grace to find him again, never to lose Him 
more. 

Pater. Ave. Gloria Patri. 

THE MEMORARE TO ST. JOSEPH. 

MOST glorious St. Joseph. Virgin Spouse of the 
Immaculate Mother of God, my loving Patron, 
remember that it has never been known that any one 
invoked thy help, or solicited thy patronage, without 
obtaining relief. Encouraged by this assurance, I 
commend my soul and body, my temporal and eternal 
interests, to thy powerful protection. O Thou, the 
adopted Father of the Eternal Son. despise not this 
appeal, but listen to my prayer, and plead for my 
necessities . Amen . 

An indulgence of three hundred days may be [rained once 
a day. by reciting the above prayer, as by rescript of His 
Holiness, Pius IX. 



678 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



A VOTIVE OBLATION TO ST, JOSEPH, FOR THE GRACE 
OF A HAPPY DEATH. 

OHOLY Joseph, virgin spouse of the Virgin 
Mother of God. most glorious advocate of all 
such as are in clanger or in their last agon v. and most 
faithful protector of all the servants of Mary, your 
dearest spouse ! I. X.. in the presence of Jesus and 
Mary, do, from this moment, choose you for my 
powerful patron and advocate, in order that I may 
obtain the grace of a most happy death. I firmly 
resolve and purpose never to forsake you : not to say 
or do anything against your honor. Receive me, 
therefore, for your constant servant, and recommend 
me to the constant protection of Mary, your dearest 
spouse, and to the everlasting mercies of Jesus my 
Saviour. Assist me in all the actions of my life ; I 
now otter them to the greater and everlasting glory 
of Jesus and Mary, as well as to your own. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH. 
Indulgence of one year. 

GUARDIAN of virgins, and father, holy Joseph, 
to whose faithful custody Christ Jesus, Inno- 
cence itself, and Mary. Virgin of virgins, were com- 
mitted ; I pray and beg of thee by these thy clear 
charges. Jesus and Mary, free me from all unclean- 
ness, and obtain that, with pure mind and heart, and 
chaste body. I may please Jesus and Mary all the 
days of 1113' life. Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF THE CHURCH. 
Approved by His Holiness. Pope Pius IX. 

GLORIOUS Patriarch St. Joseph ! a voice of far 
greater authority than that which once issued 
from the throne of Egypt has lately directed the 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



679 



great Christian family to have recourse to thee in 
their necessities: Go to Joseph. Behold then this 
widely extended family intrusted to thy care ; behold 
us all. prostrate before thy heavenly throne, imploring 
thy assistance in our present grievous afflictions. Like 
the brothers of the ancient Joseph, we come to thee, 
humbled and confounded on account of our sins, 
which have called down upon us the anger of Heaven. 
Yet in our midst there are also many innocent Benja- 
mins, who suffer and grieve without any fault of their 
own. But our hearts are inexpressibly pained when 
we hear our venerable Father, like the gentle and 
pious Jacob, meekly lamenting that the last days of 
his life are rilled with bitterness. Have pity on 
his gray hairs, and permit him not to close his eves 
in the sleep of the Just, before peace and safety have 
dawned upon his entire family. 

This. O great Saint, is the first favor which we ask 
of thee since thou hast been proclaimed our universal 
protector. C anst thou have the heart to refuse us ? 
Ah ! we may well hope that the second Joseph will 
show even greater compassion than the first. Ani- 
mated therefore with this confidence, we repeat : 
Holy Joseph, pray for us. 

The following was written by the Holy Father on the orig- 
inal manuscript : 

Beloved children, go to Joseph, and he will inter- 
cede for us in our distress. Pius PP. IX. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH. 

GLORIOUS St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, think 
of us. pray for us. Amiable Cherub, guardian 
of the paradise of the new Adam, labor at our sanc- 
tificafcion. Dear foster-father of the Sacred Victim, 
provide for all cur present necessities. O faithful 



680 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. .JOSEPH. 



depositary of the most precious of all treasures, take 
under thy charitable conduct the affair which ire 
recommend to thee. May its issue be for the glory 
of God and the benefit of our souls. Amen. 

Three Pate?' and three Arc, with three Gloria Patri and 
three times Holy Joseph, pray for us. 

JESUS, Mary, and Joseph. I offer you my heart 
and soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in 
my last agony. Jesus. Mary, and Joseph, grant that 
I may expire in your holy company. 

AVE JOSEPH. 

HAIL, Joseph, favored with grace. Jesus and 
Mary are with thee : blessed art thou among 
men. and blessed is Jesus, the Son of thy Spouse. 

Holy Joseph, nursing father of Jesus, and spouse 
of the immaculate Mother of God. pray for us sin- 
ners now. and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

ASPIRATIONS TO ST. JOSEPH FOR EVERY DAY IN THE 

WEEK. 

An indulgence of three hundred clays was granted by His 
Holiness. Pius VII., April 28, 1807, for repeating these 

Aspirations, 

Three Glorias should be added to each Aspiration. 

Sunday. My dear St. Joseph, I beseech thee to 
obtain for me a contrite and humble heart, and great 
purity of soul and body. 

Monday. Most glorious St. Joseph, pray for me. 
that I may accomplish the will of God ail the days 
of my life. 

Tuesday. Jesus. Mary, and Joseph ! sweet objects 
of my love, in you, for you. with you. may I live, 
suffer, and die. 



DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 



681 



Wednesday . Blessed St. Joseph, obtain for me 
the grace to lead a pure and holy life, ever secure 
under thy patronage. 

Thursday, Beloved St. Joseph, chaste Spouse 
of the Immaculate Mary, intercede for me that I may 
obtain pardon, inercy, and salvation. 

Friday. Remember me, O most merciful St. Jo- 
seph, and pra}' for me this day and always to Jesus, 
who deigned to be called thy son, and who has saved 
me by his precious blood. 

Saturday. O most noble patriarch, St. Joseph, 
through thy intercession may the Blessed Virgin, thy 
Immaculate Spouse, be propitious to me now, and at 
the hour of my death. Amen. 

HAIL ! holy St. Joseph, who, chosen by God 
above all other men, wast enriched with grace 
and adorned with sanctity, the Lord is with thee ; 
blessed art thou amongst men, and blessed is He who 
condescended to be reputed thy son, Jesus. O glori- 
ous St. Joseph, most worthy Spouse of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary ! pray for us sinners now, and at the 
hour of our death. Amen. 

O Jesus, have mercy on me. 
O Maiy and Joseph, assist me. 

SWEET ASPIRATIONS IN ALL TEMPTATIONS. 

First Aspiration. 

sweetest Heart of Jesus ! I implore, 
That I may ever love thee more and more. 

Second Aspiration. Jesus meek and humble of 
heart, make my heart like unto thine. 
Indulgence of three hundred days. 



682 DEVOTIONS TO ST. JOSEPH. 

Third Aspiration. Heart of Jesus, be my love. 
Indulgence of three hundred days each time. 

Fourth Aspiration. Heart of Mary, be my sal- 
vation. 

Indulgence of three hundred days each time. 

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you my heart and 
my soul. 

Jesus, Mary. Joseph, assist me in my last agony. 
Jesus. Mary. Joseph, may my soul send forth her 
last sigh in peace, with you to aid me. 
Indulgence of three hundred days each time. 

ACT OF CONSECRATION OF OUR FAMILY, OUR PROPERTY, 
AND OUR WHOLE BEING TO ST. JOSEPH. 

O GREAT Saint, above all the saints worthy of 
being venerated, invoked, and loved for the 
excellence of thy glory, as well as for the power of 

thy intercession and loving patronage : I. , 

in presence of Jesns Christ, who chose thee on earth 
as his foster-father, and of Mary, who bound herself 
to thee as her most chaste Spouse. I choose thee 
this day for my most amiable advocate, and the most 
faithful protector of my family, and of all that be- 
longs to me ; and I firmly purpose never to abandon 
thee, but to do all in my power to honor thee myself 
and to cause thee to be honored by others. I there- 
fore earnestly beseech thee to receive me now. and 
ever to guard me under the mantle of thy special pro- 
tection : to assist me in ail my actions as thy perpet- 
ual client : to intercede in my favor with Jesus and 
Mary, and above all to strengthen me with thy power- 
ful aid at the hour of my death. Amen. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to you I recommend my 
soul. 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOTSIUS. 



THE DEVOUT CLIENT'S ADDRESS TO ST. 
ALOYSIUS. 

ANGELICAL Youth, Aloysius. by the particular 
appointment of God's Vicar upon earth, patron 
of those who apply to studies ; thou who hast illus- 
trated the Church by a holy contempt of an earthly 
principality, but more by the innocence of thy man- 
ners, sanctity of thy life, and glory of thy miracles ; 
allow me from this day to choose and adopt thee 
patron and protector of my life and studies, firmly 
resolved to follow the example and pattern, as well 
of piety, as of industry, thou hast set before me. 
For the love thou hast for Christ crucified, and his 
most blessed Mother, receive me as thy client and 
obedient servant, aid and assist me in the pursuit of 
virtue and learning. Nourish and increase in me a 
purity of body and mind ; turn off the snares laid 
against my chastity ; ward and defend me against 
the dangers of the world ; inspire my heart with a 
true and filial confidence in the ever blessed Virgin 
Mary, the Mother of good counsel ; govern and di- 
rect me in my choice of a state of life, and let the 
grace of God be my perpetual defence against all 
mortal sin ; that as thou always didst live in a state 
of purity and integrity truly angelical, so, assisted by 
thy patronage, and aided by the grace of God, I 
ma3 live chastely and holily in this world, and de- 
serve to be associated with thee and joined to the 
company of the Angels in Heaven. Amen. 

683 



684 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



THE LITANY OF ST. ALOYSIUS. 

LOI\D. have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy 
on us. 

God the Hoi}' Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 
Holv Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 
St. Aloysius, 
Most beloved of Christ, 
The delight of the blessed Virgin, 
Most chaste youth, 
Angelical youth, 
Most humble youth, 
Model of young students, 
Despiser of riches, 
Enemy of vanities, 
S corner of honors, 
Honor of princes, 
Jewel of the nobility, 
Flower of innocence, 
Ornament of a religious state, 
Mirror of mortification, 
Mirror of perfect obedience, 
Lover of evangelical poverty, 
Most affectionately devout, 
Most zealous observer of the rules, 
Most desirous of the salvation of souls, 
Perpetual adorer of the Eucharist, 
Particular client of St. Ignatius, 



DEVOTIOX TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



685 



Be merciful unto us, O Lord. 
Graciously bear us, O Lord. 

From the concupiscence of the eyes, O Lord, de- 
liver us. 

From the concupiscence of the flesh, O Lord, de- 
liver us. 

From the pride of life, O Lord, deliver us. 

By the merits and intercession of St. Ak^-sius, O 
Lord, deliver us. 

By his angelical purity, O Lord, deliver us. 

By his sanctity and glory, O Lord, deliver us. 

We sinners beseech thee to hear us. 

Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the 
world, spare us, G Lord. 

Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the 
world, graciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the 
world, have mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Our Father, &c. 

T 7 ". Pray for us, St. Aloysius. 

It. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, the distributer of heavenly gifts, who 
didst join in the angelical youth, Aloysius, won- 
derful innocence of life with an equal severity of 
penance ; grant through his merits and prayers, that 
we, who have not followed the example of Ms inno- 
cence, may imitate his practice of penance, through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



686 



BEVCTI0X TO ST. ALOYSIUS 



AFTER the canonization of the angelical youth Aloysius, 
which was decreed by his holiness Benedict XIII.. with 
a particular view, among many other laudable motives, to 
ofier to the imitation and veneration, especially of young 
persons, a youth most conspicuous for his innocence of life, 
(young persons wore not the only votaries of a saint, who 
seemed to be appointed their peculiar patron,) the devotion 
soon became general, and common to all. In order to promote 
and encourage the same by the concurrence of the Apostolic 
See, Clement XII. extended the plenary indulgence granted 
by his predecessor to any one who on his feast * should visit 
his altar: to those also who should pray before an altar, where 
his feast happened to be kept 

Heaven seemed to give its sanction to this zeal of the faith- 
ful, by frequent and wonderful favors granted and obtained 
through bis powerful intercession : and the pious custom of 
assigning six Sundays without intermission in honor of the 
Saint, in memory of the six years he lived in the Society of 
Jesus, was introduced and observed. How agreeable a devo- 
tion of this nature was to St. Aloysius. has been shown by 
many and very signal blessings bestowed on his clients ; so 
that the same Clement XII.. as lie himself speaks, to nourish 
so salutary a practice towards St. Aloysius, approved from 
Heaven by many favors, spiritual as well as temporal, has 
granted plenary indulgences on each of the above Sundays, 
to them who, by a true and sincere repentance, by a worthy 
communion, by a serious application to mental or vocal prayer, 
and other good works of piety, performed in honor of the 
Saint, and directed to the glorv of God. shall sanctify the said 
days. 

The manner of performing the devotion of the six Sundays 
is as follows : 

OX each of these Sundays, let the person who 
performs this devotion, choose St Aloysius for 
his patron, and receive the sacraments of penance 
and the holy eucharist. 

2. On that day. let Mm be present either at some 
confraternity or sodality, or at least hear a Mass in 
honor of the saint. 

3. Let him recite on each day. either before some 



* June 21. 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



687 



image of the saint, or in the church, six Our Fathers 
and Hail Marys, and as often. Glory be to the Father, 
&c, the litany of the saint, &c. 

4, Let him perform some work of mercy, spiritual 
or corporal, according to his ability, and as his devo- 
tion shall suggest. 

5. Let him spend some time in meditating; and 
for the subject of his meditation on each Sunday, 
let him take one of the virtues which St. Bonaven- 
ture finds expressed in the wings of the seraphim, 
seen by the prophet Isaiah. These virtues are : 
compunction of heart, sanctification of penance, 
purity of body, purity of mind, love of God, and 
love of our neighbor. With these virtues, as with so 
many wings, did the angelical youth Aloysius fly to 
that height of perfection, as to resemble in some 
manner the very angels themselves* 

A PKAYER. 

To be said each Sunday, after the six Our Fathers and 
Hail Marys, &c, and as often, Glory be to the Father, &c. 

AXGELICAL Youth, most loving protector and 
powerful advocate, Alo} sius, as thy most un- 
worthy servant and client, yet sensible of the favor 
thou enjoy est with God, the just reward of thy merit, 
I humbly prostrate myself before the throne of thy 
glory. I rejoice from my soul not only for the renown 
of thy name, illustrious upon earth by frequent and 
glorious prodigies ; but also am overjoyed for the 
sublime pre-eminence with which God has been 
pleased to crown thy virtues in heaven. Praise and 
glory be to the most sacred Trinity, who embellished 
thy soul with a most admirable innocence, and with 
so many most heroic virtues. Blessed be the eternal 
Father, who is well pleased in thee, his adoptive child, 



'688 



BETOTIO:; TO ST. ALOYSIU3. 



•adorned with so singular prerogatives. Blessed be 
God the Son, who sees in thee so pure and so abun- 
dant fruit of his precious blood and passion. Blessed 
"be the Holy Ghost, who resided in thee after a particu- 
Jar manner, and inflamed thy heart with an ardent 
love and charity. By these so singular favors : by 
jthy innocence and penance equally admirable : by 
that love of God which burned in thy breast : by his 
Jove for thee, and by the unspeakable bliss and hap- 
piness thou enjoyest in heaven, give me leave in a 
suppliant manner to entreat thy goodness to obtain 
for me a true contrition and repentance, an undeliled 
purity of heart, and a conscience free from sin and 
: slI\ offence of Cod. Be thou ever present to me; 
protect and defend me, as well in life as in death, 
when my weakness will stand most in need of. and 
call for. thy powerful assistance. Let me also, my 
dear and indulgent patron, most earnestly beg the 
particular grace of X. A., which I confidently hope 
to obtain through thy holy- intercession. 
F .Q Queen of Heaven, Virgin Mother ! who so much 
lovedst Aloysius, intercede with thy only-begotten 
Son, that under thy patronage some weight may be 
•added to my poor and unworthy prayers : grant this 
jny request, founded not on my own, which are none, 
but the merits of St. Aloysius. O most holy Virgin, 
may all know and be sensible that thou wouldst have 
-Aloysius honored and respected, and that, as a true 
..-mother, thou embracest such as have recourse to his 
jprotection and patronage. May the number of the 
• faithful, who honor thee, queen of angels ! and the 
^angelical Aloysius here on earth, be daily increased, 
land may they yet more praise and glorify you both in 
jheaven for all eternity. Amen. 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



689 



XOVEXA TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 

The first prayer of this novena is found page 687, begin- 
ning, " Angelical Youth, Aloysius," &c. ; then say the following 
prayer : 

I ACKNOWLEDGE, O eternal God. that all things 
I have, .or can possess, come from thy merciful 
goodness. I adore all thy divine perfections. I 
firmly believe that I am in thy sacred presence, that 
thon beholdest all my actions, and the most secret 
desires of my heart. I moreover believe without 
doubting, all the sacred truths the holy Catholic and 
Apostolic Church believes and teaches, because thou, 

my God, hast revealed them, who neither canst 
deceive nor be deceived. 

I am sensible, my dearest Saviour, that my 
past sins and infidelities have rendered me disgustful 
in thy divine eyes. Because they caused thy cruel 
sufferings, thy bitter death and passion. I most 
sincerely detest and hate them. Have mercy on my 
soul, dearest Saviour, redeemed with thy precious 
blood : 1 firmly purpose never more to plunge it into 
like guilt, but diligently to fly every occasion of sin. 

1 do resolve to confess all my crimes, and to make 
satisfaction for them. It is not upon any merits of 
my own that I confide, but, O merciful Redeemer. I 
trust in thy promises and goodness, in thy sufferings, 
in thy precious blood, to obtain pardon for these my 
sins, and grace to amend my life, and persevere with 
fidelity in thy service to my last breath. Amen. 

glorious St. Aloysius. appointed by the Church 
of Christ as a worthy advocate for her children, 
intercede for me : obtain for me what I ask in this 
novena. if it be for the glory of God and the good 
of my soul ; or at least. O faithful servant of God, 
direct my request, that it ma}' turn to the honor of 
my dear and blessed Redeemer, that through thy 



690 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



patronage lie may see in me the effect of his sacred 
passion and blood. 

Omnipotent and eternal God of heaven and earth, 
who hast been pleased to adorn the ever-glorious Vir- 
gin Mary with the treasures of heaven, making her a 
fit habitation for thy divine Son : permit thy servant 
to offer to thee those virtues which rendered her most 
pleasing in thy sight : accept in my behalf her pure 
virginity, her perfect obedience and humility, her pov- 
erty and sufferings, together with the innocence, pen- 
ance, and perfect resignation of thy worthy St. Aloysius. 
I beseech thee, grant me a true compunction of heart, 
give me a true spirit of mortification and humility, that 
I may despise all worldly things, and rest in thee alone. 
Grant me also the petition I make in this novena, to 
thy greater honor and glory. Amen. 

Here say six times, "Our Father," and '"Hail Mary," &c, 
and as often. u Glory be 10 the Father." &c. ; to these sub- 
join the prayer beginning, "Angelical Youth, most loving 
protector/ vS:e.. page 087. and the Litany of St. Aloysius, and 
terminate on each day the Prayers for the Novena by this An- 
tiphon to our Blessed Lady : 

I_TAIL. holy Queen! Mother of mercy, our life, 
1. our sweetness, and our hope ; to thee we cry, 
poor banished sons of Eve ; to thee we send up our 
sighs, mourning and weeping, in this valley of tear* : 
turn. then, most gracious advocate, thy eyes of mercy 
towards us : and after this our exile ended, show unto 
us the blessed fruit of thy womb. Jesus, O most clem- 
ent, most pious, and most sweet Virgin Mary. 
Vl Pray for us. O holy Mother of God. 
it. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

O ALMIGHTY and eternal God ! who. by the co- 
operation of the Holy Ghost, didst prepare the 
■body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mary to become 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



691 



a worthy habitation of thy divine Son, grant that we, 
who rejoice in her commemoration, may, through her 
intercession, be delivered from present evils and eter- 
nal death, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

F. May the divine assistance remain always with 
us. Amen. 

Those who make this Novena are advised to conform their 
lives to a practice of those virtues recommended 'in the Six 
Sundays. 

THE SIX SUNDAYS OF ST. ALOYSIUS. 

CONSIDERATION FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY.* 
ST. ALOYSIUS AN EXAMPLE OF COMPUNCTION OF HEART. 

ADMIRABLE was Aloysius in this virtue, con- 
sidering, 1st, The object of his sorrow ; 2d, The 
sincerity and intenseness of his sorrow ; 3d, The con- 
tinuance and perseverance of his sorrow. 

Consider. 1st, What was the object of his sorrow? 
Small faults, which worldlings hardly believe to be 
faults. 

At four or five years of age he had taken by stealth 
some powder from the pouches of the soldiers, to lire 
a small field-piece, which was allowed him for diver- 
sion, and with a view of training him up for the army, 
lie had also been heard to utter some improper ex- 
pressions, which occasionally he had picked up from 
among the soldiers, though without reflection on the 
import and meaning of them. Nevertheless, he bit- 
terly bewailed these two faults during his whole ensu- 
ing life. 

*' These Considerations nre selected from the life of St. Aloysius. It is greatly 
recommended to all those who make this devotion, that they would frequently 
occupy themselves in reading attentively the life of this saint; particularly dur- 
ing the time their devotion continues. 



692 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYS1US. 



Consider. 2d. That although the faults of St. 
Aloysius were small, his sorrow was most intense 
and sincere. So lively was his sorrow, that, entering 
upon a general confession of his whole life, at Flor- 
ence, he was seized with so great a tlow of grief, and 
overwhelmed with such a torrent of tears, that, un- 
able to support the anguish, he fainted away, and 
was obliged, not only to interrupt, but to delay his 
confession, already begun, to a further time ; and 
ever after, a sincere grief, expressed by sighs and 
tears, attended the remembrance of his past faults. 

Consider. 3d. The continuance of his repentance. 
He never ceased to repent till he ceased to live. 
Often was he heard to say. with tears in his eyes : 
"Thy judgments. God. are a deep abyss. Who 
knows, if the sins I committed before my entrance 
into religion are yet forgiven ! " His fear was. lest 
he should be cast off by Almighty God, and accounted 
in the number of the reprobate. 

Reflections and Resolutions for the First Week's 
Devotion in Honor of St. Aloysius, 

ST. ALOYSIUS gives me an example of compunc- 
tion of heart. Is it not the will of Heaven that 
I should regulate myself by it? I have sinned: of 
consequence, sorrow and repentance are required. 
You. devout Christian, who may read and consider 
this, say daily to yourself : Unless I sincerely repent 
of my sins. I shall be miserable for an endless eter- 
nity. I possess, at this moment, the best occasion 
of giving myself to my Lord and Creator, under t lie 
protection and example of St. Aloysius ; unless I use 
it. I may expose myself to infinite dangers. I will also 
reflect, that the bitter afflictions and tears of my divine 
Redeemer, his sacred body wounded and bleeding for 
my salvation, will not save me. unless I sincerely repent. 



DEVOTION" TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



693 



O, is it not better for me to imitate St. Aloysius in 
my repentance than to frustrate the design of my 
merciful Redeemer in dying for me ? All my Saviour 
has done increases the eternal damnation of the wicked, 
because they would not repent and return from their 
sins. Alas ! what an unhappy thought for me to be 
obliged to reflect, when I am in eternal misery, that 
I am here because I would not do what I can now 
perform with so much ease. I will daily humble nry- 
self before God, whom I have so often offended ; I 
will offer to him sincere grief and sorrow for my past 
sins, resolving to make amends, inasmuch as I can, 
by my fervor and devotion. I will often say, from 
the sincerity of my heart, " Permit, O Lord, that my 
love and affection in serving thee, may equal (if pos- 
sible) my malice in having offended thee." I will be 
exact in my examination at night, and excite a lively 
sorrow for my repeated sins : particular!}', I resolve 
never to retire to bed without begging pardon of my 
Lord and Creator for those offences of my past life 
which I know to be the most displeasing to him. I 
will wish and endeavor to excite that compunction of 
heart which St. Aloysius experienced, and beg the 
same through his holy intercession. 

COXSIDEH ATIOX FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY. 
ST. ALOYSIUS AN EXAMPLE OF MORTIFICATION. 

CONSIDER what was his mortification: 1st, In 
the world ; 2d, In a religious state ; 3d, On his 
deathbed. 

Consider, 1st, That every Christian is commanded 
and instructed by his divine Redeemer to walk in the 
" strait way that leads to life." (Matt.vii. 14. ) In con- 
sequence, the spirit of Christianity is a spirit of mor- 
tification and austerity. Under the influence of divine 
grace, Aloysius was early imbued with tins heavenly 



694 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOVSIUS. 



doctrine. He practised the most rigid austerities from 
his infancy, even in the world : and though heir to a 
considerable principality, notwithstanding the oppo- 
site allurements of a splendid and magnificent court, 
he treated his body, innocent as it was. with the must 
strict severity. His disciplines were frequent and 
bloody ; his fasts almost continual, his very refection 
was so sparing, that it never exceeded the quantity 
of one ounce at any set meal. When deprived of 
his usual instruments of mortification, he was ever 
ingenious in finding out means to supply their want. 
Instead of hair shirts, he would make use of small 
iron spikes and rowels of spurs, and would strew his 
bed with chips of wood, that his very rest might have 
a uniformity with his other actions, which were ever 
seasoned with mortification. 

Consider, 2d, That Alovsius in a religious state, 
with due subordination to superiors, continued on and 
practised the same rigorous austerities towards him- 
self. No action seemed to please him. unless it was 
accompanied with some mortification. Besides fast- 
ing, iron chains, and disciplines, he would find out 
some means or other to afflict his body, in what pos- 
ture soever it was. and would not let slip out of his 
hands any opportunity of overcoming himself ; sub- 
duing all the motions of his heart, and subjecting his 
own will and inclination. To such as seemed sur- 
prised at his austerities, he would now and then an- 
swer : --It is practice and custom that make these 
things easy and agreeable ; neglect and disuse render 
them hard and difficult." 

Consider. 3d, The mortification of Alovsius, at the 
point of death. From the knowledge of these aston- 
ishing mortifications of this saint, many imagined that 
at the hour of his death he would be somewhat anxious 
and troubled, as if by these voluntary chastisements 
he had shortened his life. On the contrary, having 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



695 



received tlie last sacraments of the Church, he de- 
clared : * • That, far from being disturbed and troubled 
at the mortifications he had inflicted on himself, his 
only concern was, that he had omitted many austeri- 
ties which his strength probably would have been able 
to support." Wherefore he then begged his superior 
would order him a discipline. This was not at that time 
to be granted. His request then was. that he might 
be allowed, like a true penitent and a faithful follower 
of his divine Master, to breathe out his last on the 
bare ground. 

Reflections and Resolutions for tlie Second Week's 
Devotion in Honor of St. Aloysius. 

WHAT the world may say, ought I, as a Christian, 
to regard? Remember that it is tlie undoubted 
sign and mark of predestination, according to St. 
Paul, (Gai. v. 24.) that ** those who are Christ's, have 
crucified their flesh, with its vices and lusts ; " of 
consequence, to avoid sin, and to be a disciple of 
Jesus Christ, I must oppose with vigor my evil in- 
clinations ; I must deny that freedom and liberty to 
my senses which I have often indulged. Had I dene 
this on such and such particular occasions, in my 
conversations with others, in my ways of acting with 
them and myself, I had never excited the anger of 
Almighty God so frequently against myself. What 
trouble, at the hour of my death, to know I am going 
to step into an eternity of misery, because I did not 
mortify my will, and strictly adhere to the solemn 
renunciations I made at my baptism. I promised to 
the Church of Christ that 1 would renounce the world 
with its pomps, the devil and his works, the flesh and 
its pleasures. Alas ! can I do it without constant 
mortification? A Christian contemplating the suffer- 
ings of his crucified Redeemer, in order to destroy 



696 



.DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



sin, can he refuse to curb his inclinations to it? — - 
warned the dreadful example of the damned, can 
he still refuse to oppose with vigor his evil inclina- 
tions? No, my God, I was made to serve and love 
thee alone. I will ever resist the very first incitement 
to vice, and bring my body into servitude : I will often 
remember during this week, what I now promise, re- 
peat the same, and offer the affections of my heart to 
my Lord and Creator : my mortification in so doing 
is short ; my happiness will be eternal. St. Aloysius, 
by mortification, secured to himself innocence and 
felichYy : his trouble is now passed ; his reward never 
will end. Ought I not to do the same, if I wish the 
same eternal recompense ? How much shall I wish, 
during an unhappy eternity, that I had followed this 
example of St. Aloysius, and through mortification 
and self-denial had obliged my soul to be obsequious 
to the merciful designs of Almighty God. This I will 
do at present, and will repeatedly say, I offer to thee, 
O my God, these resolutions ; strengthen me in thy 
mercy, to correspond ; bless me as thou didst bless 
St. Aloysius. I will daily beg this favor through the 
intercession of St. Aloysius. 

CONSIDERATION FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY. 
ST. ALOYSIUS AX EXAMPLE OF PURITY OF BODY. 

ST. ALOYSIUS possessed this virtue, 1st, With- 
out blemish ; 2d, By a singular privilege ; 3d, 
He preserved it by the utmost vigilance. 

Consider, 1st, That St. Aloysius, although eminent 
in all kinds of virtue, seems chiefly to have excelled 
in that of chastity and purity of bod}'. From his 
earliest \outh, his own domestics, and all who knew 
him, could not help admiring the innocency of his 
morals ; they commonly called him, The little prince 
exempt from the weakness of the flesh. The holy 



DEVOTION TO ST.. ALOYSIUS 



697 



Church does not doubt to style him an Angelical 
Youth, and that too in her most solemn and public 
service. Xo one dared to pronounce a word that 
savored the least of immodesty, or even had a ten- 
dency that way. in his presence : they knew that 
nothing could displease or offend him more. Cardi- 
nal Bellarmine. his director in matters of conscience, 
a most wise and prudent man. (so little could he 
observe in him of that frailty which is common to 
others,) hesitates not to declare, that he looked upon 
him as confirmed in the favor and grace of his 
Creator. 

Consider. 2d. How singular were the prerogatives 
with which God adorned the purity of his servant. 
In his tender years he consecrated himself, at Flor- 
ence, to the mother of purity, who seems in a par- 
ticular manner to have rewarded him on that account. 
The acts of his canonization testify that no one was 
ever more privileged. Reflect on the words them- 
selves : "Aloysius never suffered in his body the 
stings of the flesh, and never had in his mind an im- 
pure thought ; which things we read not in the lives 
of other saints. 55 Such are the gifts of God. such 
those in particular that are imparted to us through 
the hands of the most pure Virgin, in themselves 
singular and angelical. 

Consider, 3d. With what care and diligence did St. 
Aloysms preserve this beloved and precious treasure 
of purity. Xo passage or entrance was left open ; 
no advantage given to his enemies : he kept a strict 
guard over all his senses : in particular over his eyes, 
as the most dangerous inlet. When page to Empress 
Mary of Austria, upon whom he waited many years, 
he never even looked her in the face : nor was he less 
circumspect or more off his guard, when he spoke and 
conversed with his own mother. He kept his eyes 
modestly inclined towards the ground, in such sort 



693 



DEVOTION TO ST. AiOYSIUS, 



that the greatest part of those that frequented his 
company could not say what color they were of. 
Being once prevailed upon to go to a ball, he soon 
found an expedient to withdraw from the company, 
and betake himself in private to prayer. In fine, lie 
was on all occasions full of care and circumspection : 
he showed a diffidence in himself similar to one walk- 
ing in a dihieult and slippery path, holding in his 
hand a frail vessel rilled with precious liquor. 

Reflections and Resolutions for the Third Weetfs 
Devotion in Honor of St. Aloys ius. 

OUGHT I not to follow this striking example of 
St. Aloysius ? He was moderate in conversation, 
considerate in action, mild in countenance, watchful 
over his senses ; in every gesture and motion of his 
body he showed himself an Angelical Youth. Such w;is 
Aloysius: and as such, devout Christian, you ought 
to admire and love him. By this conduct he pre- 
served from every blemish the inestimable virtue of 
purity of body : which, devout C hristian, respectively 
to your state of life, is necessary for your eternal 
salvation. I will reflect, that to adhere to my loving 
Bedeemer. and to please him. I must love purity. I 
must cherish and embrace this heavenly virtue with 
the whole affections of my soul. I must oiler him a 
heart which sincerely detests the smallest incitements 
towards impurity. If I have unhappily sinned in this 
particular. I must daily bemoan and lament my mis- 
fortune, and be confounded at my base ingratitude 
for loving so vile an object more than God. The 
whole world cannot satisfy for the least of these sins. 
Thousands are buried in hell for this dreadful sin. I 
shall be there, unless I make use of the goodness of 
God. He does not punish me. because he wishes to 
see me return and save my soul. How foolish is it 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



699 



for me to damn myself for a shameful action ! O 
my soul, what a miserable condition is that where 
the pleasure passes in a moment to make place for 
eternal punishment ! Hereafter, whatever tempta- 
tions I experience, I will call upon the sweet names 
of Jesus and Mary. During the temptation I will 
frequently say : O good Jesus, have pity on me. At 
other times I will repeat : O my loving Saviour, take 
my heart to thyself; thou hast loved me upon thy 
cross. Do not permit that I should love these filthy 
thoughts. Or, O most holy Mary, my dearest Mother, 
defend me from this beastly enemy, who wishes to 
make me trample under my feet, and despise the 
precious blood which thy beloved Son shed for my 
salvation. Take pity on me, O holy Mary ! defend 
me from his rage. I will take my eyes from the 
objects which cause these incitements, and will treat 
these objects with disdain, both by my interior and 
exterior actions. If I be much importuned by these 
temptations, I will resist with double vigor. I will 
think, if possibly I can, how dreadful for me to suffer 
forever the torments of hell ; and if I sin, such is my 
lot. If it be in my power, I will cast my eyes upon 
a crucifix, and say, My God hangs upon a cross for 
me ; can I, in his sight, give way to this shameful 
sin ? I will imagine that I hear as many voices as I 
see wounds in the body of my Saviour, saying to me : 
My dear beloved child, throw aside that thought ; am 
I not wounded enough to gain heaven for you ? why 
will you expose your soul and bod t y to eternal ruin ? 
Is my blood for } T our salvation, my love for you, of 
less value than that base action to which you are 
inclined? Whatever it costs me, I will keep myself 
united to God, and with vigor engage myself in works 
suitable to my situation of life. I will, during this 
week, daily beg this great virtue through the inter- 
cession of St. Aloysius. 



700 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



CONSIDERATION FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY. 
ST. ALOYSIUS AN EXAMPLE OF PURITY OF MIND. 

ST. ALOYSIUS was eminent in this virtue : 1st, 
By a total disengagement from worldly vanity ; 
2d, By renouncing the world ; 3d, B3- an intimate 
union with God. 

Consider, 1st, That St. Aloysius, from his youth, 
seemed to possess a knowledge of the vanities of the 
world. Of this he showed evident signs by publicly 
despising its pomps and honors. "What engrosses 
the minds and attention of other mortals, as power, 
riches, command, and the like, were of no estimate 
or merit with him. The rich particularly, who. whilst 
they might gain eternal wealth, remained lost and 
bewildered in the pursuit of what was vile and tran- 
sient, were so many objects of his disdain and compas- 
sion. Aloysius was not less opposite to them in his 
life, than contrary to them in his morals. His delight 
was to resemble the poor ; he chose for himself the 
meanest dress, in the midst of the greatest splendor, 
to show that he cordially despised worldly greatness. 
AY hat could he witli affection behold on earth, whose 
thoughts and desires were centred in heaven ? 

Consider, 2d, That his disengagement from world- 
ly vanity caused him in a short time to make a total 
renouncement of the world. Deliberating with him- 
self on the choice of a state of life, he addressed his 
prayers to our Blessed Lady, and placed himself 
under her care and direction. On the feast of her 
sacred Assumption he clearly saw himself invited 
and called to the Society of Jesus. Great were the 
obstacles and difficulties he had to surmount in order 
to obey this call. The obstinacy of his father in re- 
fusing his consent, for the space of three whole years, 
was not brought to yield but by constant prayer, 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



701 



tears, and rigorous mortifications. In fine, St. Aloy- 
sius publicly divests himself of the principality which 
by birth devolved to him, and transferred his right 
to his younger brother ; then, from amid the com- 
mon tears of a large assembly, he betakes himself to 
the Society of Jesus ; exchanging the affluence, ease, 
and splendor of a court, for the poverty, mortifica- 
tion, and humility of a religious life. 

Consider, 3d, That this purity of mind, which St. 
Aloysius possessed in so perfect a manner, received 
its source from the saint's intimate union with God. 
Whilst a child, he oftentimes passed whole hours in 
contemplation of the divine perfections of Almighty 
God, exciting tears of tenderness and love towards 
him. His thoughts were continually on God. His 
countenance would be inflamed and burn ; his soul 
would melt and dissolve away at the memory only, or 
mention of his Creator, who was ever before his eyes 
and present to his heart. An uninterrupted conver- 
sation with God ran through and accompanied his 
whole life. In prayer especially he was so absorbed 
in the object of his love, that no distraction could 
avert his mind. Of this we have the authentic testi- 
mony in the acts of his canonization, which declare, 
k • that he was free from distractions and dissipations 
of mind in prayer ; " — a favor lie had purchased not 
without toil and labor. 

Reflections and Resolutions for the Fourth Week's 
Devotion in Honor of St. Aloysius. 

The example St. Aloysius gives me, of purity 
of mind, deserves my most serious reflections. By 
possessing this great virtue, my soul is raised to a 
union with God ; she is carried with the influence of 
divine grace to contemn the follies of this world, to 
^despise its perishable objects, to seek her Lord and 



702 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



Creator : in every action, to aim at his love and ser- 
vice. It is vain for me to think I do this, unless all 
my actions are done purely to honor and glorify 
Almighty God. Remember, devout Christian, you 
were made to enjoy things eternal ; what folly then 
for you to give your heart to the vain objects of a 
passing world ! The smallest action I now perform, 
if done for Almighty God, will add to my glory for 
an endless eternity : whereas, whatever I do for the 
world will make me unhappy as long as God exists. 
My soul is worth more than all the riches, honors, 
and pleasures of the world, because all these things 
will perish, but my soul will never die. Ought I not 
then to unite my soul to Almighty God, without whom 
I shall ever be miserably unhappy? There is no other 
way to heaven. If I would be with God in heaven, 
I must not separate him from me on earth. My lov- 
ing Creator deserves that I should think of him, that 
I should present him my thoughts, my words, and 
my actions ; and he promises to reward them all with 
an eternity of glory. Can any one. favored as I am 
by Almighty God. refuse him so small a thing ? Xo ; 
I sincerely purpose to be more mindful of this for the 
future. I will often ask myself the questions, Where 
is my God ? Is he present with me in these actions ? 
Are they offered to him? Are they pleasing to him? 
Do I seek his glory and a greater union with him in per- 
forming them ? I am to render him a most strict account 
of all my thoughts, words, and actions. I will often 
make Acts of Faith of tins truth, and say within my- 
self : I believe. O my God. that I am to give a strict 
account of all I do, because you have said that you 
will judge all men according to their works. Short 
aspirations, often repeated during my actions, would 
bring upon me the greatest blessings of God. Eternal- 
ly happy is St. Aloysius. because he despised the world 
and its passing pomps and vanities. He pitied world- 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



703 



lings in their blindness, who strove to content their 
immortal souls with the perishable objects of riches, 
honors, pleasures, dress, &c. Unhappy for me, if my 
desire of any one of these things should cause my 
damnation. If I will absolutely seek God with as much 
zeal as worldlings seek and nourish vanity, I shall he 
ever happy. I ought in consequence to engage my- 
self to follow the example of St. Aloysius. and daily 
beg this favor through his powerful intercession. 

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FIFTH SUNDAY. 

ST. ALOYSIUS AN EXAMPLE OF CHARITY TOWARDS HIS ; 
NEIGHBOR. 

THE charity of St. Aloysius towards his neighbor 
was, 1st, Patient ; 2d, It was industrious ; 3d, 
It was generous. 

Consider, 1st, He who knows not how to bear with 
the defects and failures of others, does not possess 
the virtue of charity. The first quality ascribed to 
Christian charity by St. Paul. is. that ''charity is 
patient. 5 ' (1 Cor. xiii. 14.) It may be affirmed that 
St. Aloysius carried this virtue to an eminent degree. 
He suffered not only with patience every contempt, 
outrage, and insult, but showed on those occasions 
an exterior cheerfulness of countenance — a dispo- 
sition not at all to be ascribed to his temper and com- 
plexion, (that being naturally somewhat warm and 
hasty, as on occasions he had showed,) but was en- 
tirely the effect of frequent meditation and the use he 
had made of his particular examen, in which he took 
that under a special and daily consideration. Hence he 
had so absolute a command over himself, that the 
very first motions of anger, not always voluntary and 
in our power, either could not be observed in him, or 
were under the strictest subjection. 

Consider, 2d, His charity was active and industri- 



704 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS, 



ous in finding out means to relieve his neighbors in 
their wants. Their sufferings affected him as if they 
were his own, particularly if the danger or damage 
turned upon their souls. 

Aloysius, even when a child, was remarkable for 
his compassionate tenderness. He would, notwith- 
standing his high birth, mix with the ignorant and 
grosser sort of men, instruct them in the heads of 
Christian doctrine, reprove their vices, settle differ- 
ences, disputes, or disagreements, too common among 
them. Much more did he practise this when at Rome 
and in the Society, drawing all to the love of God, 
and the frequent and due use of the sacraments. • 

Consider, 3d. The most generous and heroic deed 
of Christian charity is to sacrifice our lives in the ser- 
vice of our neighbor. The charity of St. Aloysius 
extended to this sublime degree of perfection. Whilst 
the plague infested Rome, he obtained leave of his 
superiors to serve such as were infected — a labor he 
embraced with so much alacrity, that the more vile 
the service was. the more it seemed agreeable to him ; 
the more abject and abandoned the object, the greater 
was his care and vigilance. He measured his labor, 
not by his own strength, but by the want and call of 
others. We may truly say, that he laid his life down 
in the discharge of so charitable an employ : for, hav- 
ing taken the distemper, the infection thereof soon 
put an end to his life. 

Reflections and Resolutions for the Fifth Week's s 
Devotion in Honor of St. Aloysius. 

What a comfort to a pious client of St. Aloysius 
to contemplate his patron at the hour of death ! This 
holy saint expressed his gladness of soul on the ap- 
proach of that happy moment, in which he was to 
enter into the eternal enjoyment of his Creator. This 
favor he. received in the exercise of love towards his 



DEVOTION TO ST, ALOYSIUS. 



705 



neighbor. I ought to remember, that if I wish a like 
happiness at my death. I must imitate St. Aloysius 
in the exercise of this virtue. To convince myself of 
this truth. I will often and seriously reflect on the 
many motives I have for loving and assisting ray 
neighbor. 

1st. He bears within him the image and likeness of 
my Creator. 2d. He is redeemed with the precious 
blood of my Saviour. 3d. He is intended by Al- 
mighty God to possess an eternal happiness. Being 
thus the favorite of Heaven, can I omit seeking his 
protection? I will also reflect, that to secure my sal- 
vation. I must religiously observe these three com- 
mands of my loving Redeemer : 1st. I must love my 
neighbor as myself. (Matt, xxii.) 2d. I must do as 
I would be clone by. (Matt, vii.) 3d. I must love my 
neighbor as Christ has loved me. (John xiii.) I 
ought to blush not to co-operate with my blessed Re- 
deemer in the salvation of those with whom I live. 
If I love my Saviour as I ought, I shall love all those 
for whom he suffered, and shall find myself inclined 
to repeat frequently : 4t O my loving Redeemer, per- 
mit me to bring others to know, to love, and to serve 
thee." What comfort for me, especially at my death, 
and during the whole length of eternity, if I could 
be the cause of the happiness of any one person, 
either by my example, my discourse, or prayers ! 
How pleasing would it be to Jesus Christ to see (by 
my means) the happy effects of his precious blood in 
the salvation of this soul ! This I can do with the 
assistance of Heaven, by my sweetness of manners, 
by good example at all times, and by my edifying 
discourses on certain occasions. On the other hand, 
the blood of my crucified Redeemer will turn to my 
destruction if I injure my neighbor, or cause, or par- 
take in his sins. I will make it my duty to humble 
myself on account of nxv many sins of detraction : 
45 



706 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUg. 



and will endeavor, by a mild and sweet disposition, 
joined to a virtuous example in all my actions, to 
make atonement and reparation. I will impress these 
sentiments upon my heart. I will often say. " I can- 
not love God unless I love my neighbor." I will 
daily pray for this virtue, through the intercession of 
St. Aloysius. 

CONSIDERATION FOR THE SIXTH SUNDAY. 
ST. ALOYSIUS AX EXAMPLE OF THE LOVE WE OWE TO GOD. 

ST. ALOYSIUS loved most tenderly the bounty 
and goodness of God — 1st, in itself; 2d. in 
Christ crucified ; 3d, in Jesus Christ hidden in the 
most holy sacrament of the altar. 

Consider, lot, Aloysius. who excelled in all other 
virtues, was eminently conspicuous and truly seraphic 
in the love of God. lie was so affected and tran- 
sported with this holy flame, that when he thought 
of God, or heard others speak of him, his counte- 
nance was on tire, his voice and breath seemed to be 
intercepted, and his heart (struggling as it were to 
get out of its confinement) beat with violence. His 
superiors obliged him to mode rate this heat, which ex- 
hausted and consumed the poor remains of strength 
left in him, and at certain intervals to divert his 
mind from a continual meditation on his Creator. 

Consider, 2d, The goodness of God, which ap- 
pears most remarkable in our crucified Saviour, was 
the nourishment that maintained and increased the 
love of God in Aloysius. If our saint was pleased 
with the thought and contemplation of the great hu- 
mility, sufferings, and bitter passion of Christ cruci- 
fied, he was not less delighted in the prospect and 
desire of following an example laid before him by so 
admirable an instructor. Pie s.eemed satisfied when 
reviled- and cast off by others.; and this his- satisfac- 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



70? 



tion redoubled in proportion to the rudeness of the 
treatment he met with. For the same reason, he 
seemed to rejoice at the most excruciating pains, 
esteeming them as a participation of the sufferings 
of Christ. Thus the memory of what our blessed 
Saviour underwent gave a constant seasoning to his 
sufferings, which he deemed small and inconsiderable, 
because they fell short of what he contemplated in 
him, and far below the desire he had formed in his 
own heart of suffering for him. 

Consider, 3d, The excessive goodness Christ shows 
in the holy sacrament of the eucharist was another 
spring and source of his love for God. 4i He has loved 
them to the end." (John xiii.) It truly was such to 
Aloysius. From the first time he received this pledge 
of love in holy communion, which was from the hands 
of St. Charles Borromeo, his care, concern, and en- 
deavor was to live as one thoroughly sensible of so 
singular a favor. In the presence of the blessed 
sacrament, his soul melted and dissolved into the ten- 
clerest affections, and inspired all about him with the 
same sentiments of devotion. Three whole days were 
einpWed for the due receiving of so great a guest, 
and as many in returning thanks for so kind a visit, 
so excessive a bounty. Whenever he approached to 
this divine mystery he melted into tears ; he humbled 
and annihilated himself in his presence, and com- 
monly spent two hours in adoration after communion. 

Reflections and Resolutions for the Sixth Week's 
Devotion in Honor of St. Aloysius. 

Who is not moved to the love of Almighty God, 
when he seriously considers all that God has done to 
gain his affections ! St. Aloysius gives me a striking 
example how to love God. The moment St. Aloy- 
sius knew the goodness of Almighty God in his re- 
gard, he loved him, he gave him his whole heart, and 



708 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



never redemanded it. The view of his crucified Sa- 
viour, his receiving him in the holy eucharist, excited 
in his tender heart the greatest effusions of love. I 
am that happy person whose affections Almighty God 
demands. He wishes to make me as happy as he 
made St. Aloysius. Can I refuse Almighty God the 
affections of my heart? How can I deny my soul 
that happiness which will come from the loving and 
possessing of her Creator? Nothing can destroy my 
soul; she is of the same nature as God himself, and 
like him she will exist forever and ever ! What folly 
then for me to please myself with the deceitful ob- 
jects and projects of this world ! Where are those 
people who delighted in the pleasures of this world, 
and found fault with St. Aloysius because he loved 
God and gave himself to God? The world and its 
vanities have long forsaken them, and have left them 
in eternal misery. Reflect, devout Christian, on the 
great disparity between St. Aloysius and those un- 
happy worldlings. St. Aloysius loved Almighty God, 
and will be happy with him forever and ever. Those 
worldlings despised the choice St. Aloysius made ; 
they loved the world and its vanities ; their pleasures 
and follies are now past, and behold them in misery 
for all eternity. Whoever may read and consider 
this, let him resolve not to make this unhappy choice. 
Almighty God loves you ; he wishes you would love 
him ; if you will do it. he promises you eternal felicity. 
Engage yourself to begin to love God, and say to 
yourself : To be happy I must conclude to love him, 
and to demonstrate my love for him by my actions ; 
he made me for this end. I will now begin, and I 
will love him at all times and in all places, that I may 
be secure of loving him for an endless eternity. I 
will often repeat : My heart, O my God, was made to 
love thee, and it never can be at rest but in loving 
and serving thee ; I put it into thy sacred hands ; I 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 



709 



wish it to remain forever in thy possession. More- 
over, I seriously resolve : 1st. To make frequent acts 
of divine love ; they ought (if possible) to be made 
as frequent as the drawing of my breath. 2d. All 
m v actions shall be accompanied with aspirations of 
divine love. 3d. I will strive, when occasions occur, 
to engage others to this heavenly practice. 4th. I 
will often petition the saints to obtain for me this 
great blessing. I will unite my acts of love to theirs ; 
I will at all times wish that I could love my Creator 
as they do. If I admit of these sentiments and cor- 
respond with them, I am certain of being happy with 
Almighty God and his blessed saints for an endless 
eternity. 



XOYEXA AND 

LITANY OF ST. PATRICK. 



NO YEN A. 

O BLESSED Apostle of Ireland, glorious St. 
Patrick, who didst become the father and bene- 
factor of that land long before my birth, receive my 
prayers, and accept the sentiments of gratitude and 
veneration with which my heart is filled towards thee. 
Thou wert the channel of the greatest graces ; deign 
them to become also the channel of my grateful 
thanksgivings to God for having granted, through 
thee, that precious gift of faith which is dearer to us 
than life. O most blessed father and patron of that 
country, do not, I beseech thee, despise my weakness. 
Remember that the cries of little children were the 
mysterious invitation that thou didst receive to go 
thither. Listen then to my most humble supplica- 
tions ; I unite them to the praises and blessings 
which will ever follow thy name and thy memory 
throughout the Irish church ; I unite them to the 
prayers of the multitude of our ancestors, who now 
enjoy eternal bliss, and owe their salvation, under 
God. to thy zeal and charity. They will eternally 
share thy glory, because they listened to thy word, 
and followed thy example. Ah, since I am descended 
from saints, may I blush to differ from them ; may I 
begin from this moment to love God with all my 
heart, and serve him with all my strength. For this 
end I most humbly beg thy blessing. O great St. 

^710 



NO YEN A AND LITANY OF ST. PATRICK. 711 



Patrick, and thy particular intercession for obtaining 
whatever grace thou seest to be most necessary for 
me. and also the particular intentions of this novena. 
[Name them.] 

O charitable shepherd of the Irish flock, who 
wonkiest have laid down a thousand lives to save one 
soul take my soul, and the souls of all Christians, 
under thy special care, and preserve us from the dread- 
ful misfortune of sin. Thy zealous preaching provided 
even the blessing of religious instructions which we 
now 3njoy ; obtain that none of us may receive them 
in vain. Thou didst teach that people how to con- 
nect the pursuit of virtue with that of science ; deign 
also to take my studies under thy protection, and to 
obtain for me the grace to sanctify them by a pure 
motive of pleasing God and my superiors. I most 
humbly recommend to thee this country, with that 
which was so dear to thee while on earth. Protect 
them still ; and above all. obtain for their pastors, 
particularly those who instruct us, the grace to walk 
in thy footsteps, that they may share in thy eternal 
bliss. 

LIT AX Y. 

LORD, have mercy on us, &c, &c. 
Holy Mary. Mother of God, 
St. Patrick, apostle of Ireland, 
St. Patrick, vessel of election, 
St. Patrick, model of bishops, 
St. Patrick, enemy of infidelity, 
St. Patrick, profoundly humble, 
St. Patrick, consumed with zeal, 
St. Patrick, example of charity, 
St. Patrick, glory of Ireland. 
St. Patrick, instructor of little ones, 
St. Patrick, our powerful protector, 
St. Patrick, our compassionate advocate, 
Lamb of God, &c. ? &c. 



712 



NOVEXA AND LITANY OF ST. PATRICK. 



V. Pray for us, O glorious St. Patrick. 
H. That we nraj^ be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD. who didst send thy blessed servant St. 
Patrick, to instruct and save thy people, and 
didst infuse into his heart so great a share of thine 
own tenderness, charity, and zeal, listen, we beseech 
thee, to the prayers which we now offer up in union 
with the prayers of this glorious patron and lather in 
heaven, and grant us, through his intercession, the 
intentions of tin's no vena, and the grace rather to die 
than to offend thee. 



THE 

SEYEX PENITENTIAL PSALMS. 



ANTHEM 

REMEMBER not. O Lord, our offences, nor 
those of our parents, and take not revenge on 
our sins. 

PSAXM VI. 

Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor 
chastise me in thy wrath. 

Have mercy on me. O Lord, for I am weak; heal 
me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 

And my soul is troubled exceedingly ; but thou. O 
Lord, how long? 

Turn to me, Lord, and deliver my soul : 0. save 
me for thy mercy's sake. 

For there is no one in death that is mindful of thee ; 
and who shall confess to thee in hell ? 

1 have labored in my groanings : every night I will 
wash my bed ; I will water my couch with my tears. 

My eye is troubled through indignation ; I have 
grown old amongst all my enemies. 

Depart from me. all ye workers of iniquity : for 
the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. 

The Lord hath heard my supplication : the Lord 
hath received my prayer. 

Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very much 
troubled ; let them be turned back, and be ashamed 
very speedily. 

Glory be, &c. 

713 



714 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS. 



PSALM XXXI. 

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and 
whose sins are covered. 

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not 
imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 

Because I was silent my bones grew old ; whilst I 
cried out all the day long. 

For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me ; I 
am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened. 

I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my 
injustice I have not concealed. 

I said, I will confess against myself my injustice 
to the Lord ; and thou hast forgiven the wickedness 
of my sin. 

, For this shall every one that is holy pray to thee, 
in a seasonable time. 

And yet in a Hood of many waters the}' shall not 
come nigh unto him. 

Thou art my refuge from the trouble winch hath 
encompassed me ; my joy. deliver me from them that 
surround me. 

I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct 
thee in this way in which thou shalt go ; I will fix my 
eyes upon thee. 

Do not become like the horse and the mule, who 
have no understanding. 

With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws who come 
not near unto thee. 

Many are the scourges- of the sinner, but mercy 
shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord. 

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, ye just ; and 
glory, all }'e right of heart. Glory be, &c. 

PSALM XXXVII. 

Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy indignation, nor 
chastise me in thy wrath. 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS. 



715 



For thy arrows are fastened in me ; and thy hand 
hath been strong upon me. 

There is no health in my flesh, because of thy 
wrath ; there is no peace for my bones, because of 
my sins. 

For my iniquities are gone over my head, and as a 
heavy burden are become heavy upon me. 

My sores are putrefied and corrupted, because of 
my foolishness. 

I am become miserable, and am bowed clown 
even to the end ; I walked sorrowful ail the day 
long. 

For my loins are rilled with illusions ; and there is 
no health in my flesh. 

I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly : I roared 
with the groaning of my heart. 

Lord, all my desire is before thee ; and my groan- 
ing is not hidden from thee. 

My heart is troubled, my strength has left me, and 
the light of mine eyes itself is not with me. 

My friends and my neighbors have drawn near, 
and stood against me. 

And they that were near me stood afar orT ; and 
they that sought my soul used violence. 

And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, 
and studied deceits all the day long. 

But I, as a deaf man. heard not ; and as a dumb 
man not opening his mouth. 

And I became as a man that heareth not, and that 
hath no reproofs in his mouth. 

For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped ; thou wilt hear 
me, O Lord my God. 

For I said, Lest at any time my enemies rejoice over 
me ; and whilst my feet are moved, they speak great 
things against me. 

For I am ready for scourges ; and my sorrow is 
continually before me. 



716 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS. 



For I will declare my iniquity ; and I will think for 
my sin. 

But my enemies live, and are stronger than I ; and 
-they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. 

The}' that rendered evil for good have detracted me, 
because I followed goodness. 

Forsake me not, O Lord my God ; do not thou de- 
part from me. 

Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my sal- 
vation. 

Glory be, &c. 

PSALM L. 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great 

mere}', 

And according to the multitude of thy tender mer- 
cies, blot out my iniquity. 

Wash me yet more from nry iniquity, and cleanse 
me from my sin. 

For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always be- 
fore me. 

To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil be- 
fore thee ; that thou mayest be justified in thy words, 
and mayest overcome when thou art judged. 

For behold I was conceived in iniquities ; and in 
sins did my mother conceive me. 

For behold thou hast loved truth ; the uncertain 
and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made 
manifest to me. 

Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be 
cleansed ; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made 
whiter than snow. 

To my hearing thou shalt give joy and glad- 
ness ; and the bones that have been humbled shall 
rejoice. 

Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all 
my iniquities. 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PS ALMS. 



717 



Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a 
right spirit within my bowels. 

Cast me not away from thy face, and take not thy 
Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore unto me the joys of thy salvation, and 
strengthen me with a perfect spirit. 

I will teach the unjust thy ways, and the wicked 
shall be converted to thee. 

Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my 
salvation, and my tongue shall extol thy justice. 

Lord, thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth 
shall declare thy praise. 

For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed 
have given it : with burnt-offerings thou wilt not be 
delighted. A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit ; 
a contrite and humble heart, O God, thou wilt not 
despise. 

Deal favorably. O Lord, in thy good will, with Sion, 
that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. 

Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, ob- 
lations, and whole burnt -offerings ; then shall they 
la}' calves upon thy altar. 

Glory be, &c: 

PSALM CI. 

Hear, O Lord, my prayer, and let my cry come to 
thee. 

Turn not away thy face from me ; in the day when 
I am in trouble, incline thy ear to me. 

In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me 
speedily . 

For my days ar" vanished like smoke, and my bones 
are grown dry like fuel for the fire. 

1 am smitten as gra^s, and my heart is withered, 
because I forgot to eat my bread. 

. Through the voice of my groaning, my bone hath 
cleaved to my flesh. 



718 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSAL3IS. 



I am become like to a pelican of the wilderness ; I 
am like a night-raven in the house. 

I have watched, and am become as a sparrow all 
alone on the house-top. 

All the day long my enemies reproached me, and 
they that praised me did swear against me. 

For I did eat ashes like bread, and mingled my 
drink with weeping, 

Because of thy anger and indignation ; for having 
lifted me up. thou hast thrown me down. 

My days have declined like a shadow, and I am 
withered like grass. 

But thou. O Lord, endurest forever, and thy memo- 
rial to all generations. 

Thou shalt arise, and have mercy on Sion ; for it is 
time to have mercy on it ; for the time is come. 

For the stones thereof have pleased thy servants, 
and they shall have pity on the earth thereof. 

And the Gentiles shall fear thy name, O Lord, and 
all the kings of the earth thy glory. 

For the Lord hath built up Sion, and he shall be 
seen in his glory. 

He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble, 
and he hath not despised their petition. 

Let these things be written unto another genera- 
tion, and the people that shall be created shall praise 
the Lord. 

Because he hath looked forth from his high sanc- 
tuary ; from heaven the Lord hath looked upon the 

earth ; 

That he might hear the groans of them that are in 
fetters ; that he might release the children of the 

slain. 

That they may declare the name of the Lord in 
Sion. and his praise in Jerusalem. 

When the people assembled together, and kings, to 
serve the Lord, 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS. 



719 



He answered him in the way of his strength : de^ 
clare unto me the fewness of my days. 

Call me not away in the midst of my days ; thy 
years are unto generation and generation. 

In the beginning, O Lord, thou foundedst the earth, 
and the heavens are the works of thy hands. 

They shall perish, but thou remainest ; and all of 
them shall grow old like a garment ; 

And as a vesture thou shait change them, and they 
shall be changed. But thou art always the selfsame, 
and thy years shall not fail. 

The children of thy servants shall continue, and 
their seed shall be directed forever. 

Glory be to the Father , &c. 

PSALM CXXIX. 

Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord : 
Lord, hear my voice. 

Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my sup- 
plication. 

If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord, who 
shall stand it ? 

For with thee there is merciful forgiveness ; and by 
reason of thy law I have waited for thee, O Lord. 

My soul hath relied on his word ; my soul hath 
hoped in the Lord. 

From the morning watch even until night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord there is mercy ; and with 
him plentiful redemption. 

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. 

Glory be to the Father, &c. 

PSALM CXLII. 

Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to 1113' suppli- 
cation in thy truth ; hear me in thy justice, 



720 



THE SEVEN PENITENTIAL PSALMS. 



And enter not into judgment with thy servant ; for 
in thy sight no man living shall be justified. 
- For the enemy hath persecuted nry soul ; he hath 
brought down my life to the earth. 

He hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that 
have been dead of old ; and my spirit is in anguish 
within me ; my heart within me is troubled. 

I remembered the days of old ; I meditated on all 
thy works ; I meditated upon the works of thy hands. 

f stretched forth my hands to thee ; my soul is as 
earth without water unto thee. 

Hear me speedily, O Lord : my spirit hath fainted 
away. 

Turn not awa} T thy face from me, lest I be like 
unto them that go down into the pit. 

C ause me to hear thy mere}* in the morning ; for in 
thee have I hoped. 

Make thy way known to me, wherein I should walk ; 
for I have lifted up my son! to thee. 

Deliver me from my enemies. O Lord ; to thee have 
I fled ; teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. 

Thy good Spirit shall lead me into the right land ; 
for thy name's sake, O Lord, thou wilt quicken me in 
thy justice. 

Thou wilt bring my soul out of trouble ; and in thy 
mercy thou wilt destroy my enemies. 

And thou wilt cut oif ail them that afflict my soul ; 
for I am thy servant. 

Glory he to the Father , etc. 

ANTHEM. 

Remember not, O Lord, our offences, nor those of 
our parents, and take not revenge of qui* sins. 



THE LIT AM OF THE SAINTS. 



ANTHEM. 



REMEMBER not, O Lord, our offences, nor those 
of our parents, and take not revenge of our 

sins. 



Kyrie eleison. 

Christe eleison. 

Kyrie eleison. 

Christe audi nos. 

Christe exaudi nos. 

Pater de cadis Deus, mis- 
erere nobis. 

Fili Redemptor mundi 
Deus, miserere nobis. 

Spiritus Sancte Deus, mis- 
erere nobis. 

Sancta Trinitas unus De- 
us, miserere nobis. 

Sancta Maria, ora 
nobis. 

Sancta Dei Genitrix, 

Sancta Virgo virgi 
num, . 

Sancte Michael, 

Sancte Gabriel, 

Sancte Raphael, 

Omnes saneti angeli et 
archangeli, orate pro 
nobis. 



pro 



Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, 

have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of 

the world, have mere}' 

on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, have 

mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, 

have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, pray for us. 



Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 

St. Michael, 
St. Gabriel, 
St. Raphael, 
All ye holy angels and 
archangels, 

721 



722 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



Omnes sancti beatorum 

spirituum ordines, orate 

pro nobis. 
Sancte Joannes Bap- "j p 

tista, fP 
Sancte Joseph, j 
Omnes sancti patrichses, 

et prophet ae, orate pro 

nobis. 
Sancte Petre, 
Sancte Panle, 
Sancte Andrea, 
Sancte Jacobe, 
Sancte Joannes, 
Sancte Thoma, 
Sancte Jacobe, 
Sancte Philippe, 
Sancte Bartholomsee, 
Sancte Matthaee, 
Sancte Simon, 
Sancte Thaddaee, 
Sancte Mathia, 
Sancte Barnaba, 
Sancte Lnca, 
Sancte Marce, 
Omnes sancti apostoli et 

evangelists, orate pro 

nobis. 

Omnes sancti discipuli 
Domini, orate pro nobis. 
Omnes sancti innocentes, 

orate pro nobis. 
Sancte Stephane, 1 ^ 
Sancte Lanrenti, [ $ 
Sancte Vincenti, J 
Sancti Fabiane et Sebas- 
tiane, orate pro nobis. 



All ye holy orders of 
blessed spirits, 

St. John the Baptist, 

St. Joseph, 
All ye holy patriarchs 
and prophets, 

St. Peter, 
St. Paul, 
St. Andrew, 
St. James, 
St. John, 
St. Thomas, 
St. James, 
St. Philip, 
St. Bartholomew, 
St. Matthew, 
St. Simon, 
St. Thaddens, 
St. Mathias, 
St. Barnaby, 
St. Luke, 
St. Mark, 

All ye holy apostles 
and evangelists, 

All ye holy disciples 

of our Lord, 
All 3^e holy innocents, 

St. Stephen, 
St. Lawrence, 
St. Vincent, 
SS. Fabian and Se- 
bastian, 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



7 



Sancti Joannes et Paulo, 

orate, etc. 
Sancti Cosma et Damiane, 

orate, etc. 
Sancti Gervasi et Protasi, 

orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti inartyres, 

orate, etc. 
Sancte Sylvester, 
Sancte Gregori, 
Sancte Ambrosi, ^ 
Sancte Augustine, ^ 
Sancte Hieronyme, §■ 
Sancte Martine, 
Sancte Xicolae, 
Omnes sancti pontifices et 

confessores, orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti cloctores, 

orate, etc. 
Sancte Antoni, ] 
Sancte Benedicte, ^ 
Sancte Bernarde, !^ 
Sancte Dominice, «■ 
Sancte Francisce, } 
Omnes sancti sacerdotes 

et levitae, orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti monachi et 

eremite, orate, etc. 
Sancta Maria Magda-^ 

lena, O 
Sancta Agatha, 5 
Sancta Lucia, ^ 
Sancta Agnes, y ^ 

Sancta Caecilia, §, 
Sancta Catharina, 
Sancta Anastasia, 
Omnes sanctse virgines et 

viduae, orate, etc. 



SS. John and Paul, * 

SS. Cosmas and Da- 
mian, 

SS. Gervase and Pro- 
tase, 

All ye holy martyrs, 

St. Sylvester, 

St. Gregory, 

St. Ambrose, 

St. Augustine, 

St. Jerome, 

St. Martin, 

St. Nicholas, 

All ye holy bishops 

and confessors, 
All ye hoi}' doctors, 

I 

St. Anthony, 

St. Ben net, 

St. Bernard, 

St. Dominic, 

St. Francis, 

All ye hoty priests and 

levites, 
All ye hoi}' monks and 

hermits, 
St. Mary Magdalen, 

St. Agatha, 
St. Lucy, 
St. Agnes, 
St. Cecily, 
St. Catharine, 
St. Anastasia, 
All ye holy virgins and 
widows, 



724 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



Omnes sancti et sanctne 
Dei, intercedite pro no- 
bis. 

Propitius esto. parce no- 
bis. Domine. 

Propitius esto, exaudi 
nos, Domine. 

Ab omni malo, libera nos. 

Domine. 
Ab omni peeeato, 
Ab ira tua, 
A subitanea et impro- 

visa morte. 
Ab insicliis diaboli, 

Ab ira. et odio. et om- 
ni mala volnntate. 
A spiritu fornicationis, 



A fulgure et tempes-i 
tate, 

A morte perpetua. 

Per mysterium sanctae 
incarnationis tuse, 

Per adventum tuum, 
Per nativitatem tuam. 
Per baptismnm et sanc- 

t urn j ej unium tuum , 
Per crucem et passio- 

nem tuam, 
Per mortem et sepul- 

turam tuam, 
Per sanctam resurrec- 

tionem tuam, 



All ye men and women, 
saints of God. make in- 
tercession for us. 

Be merciful unto us, spare 
us, O Lord. 

Be merciful unto us, 
graciously hear us. O 
Lord. 

From all evil, O Lord. 

deliver us. 
From all sin, 
From thy wrath, 
From a sudden and 

unprovided death. 
From the deceits of 

the devil, 
From anger, hatred. 

and all ill will. 
From the spirit of for- 
nication, 
From lightning and 

tempest, 
From everlasting! 

death, ! 
Through the mystery 

of thy hoi}' incarna- 

lion, 

Through thy coming, ' 

Through thy nativity. 

Through thy baptism 
and holy fasting, j 

Through thy cross and I 
passion. 

Through thy death and 
burial, 

Through thy holy res- 
urrection, 



£3j 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS, 



72.5 



Per admirabilem as-"": ^ 
censionem tuam. ? 

Per adventum Spirit us S 
Sailed Paraclici. > g 

In die judicii. §. 

j 

Peccatores. te rogamus. 
audi nos, 

Ut nobis pareas, 1 

Ut nobis indulgeas, 

Ut ad veram poeiiiten- 
tiam nos perducere ! 
digneris. 

Ut Ecclesiam tuam i 
sanctam regere et 
eonservare digneris. 

Ut dominum apostoli- | 
cum et omnes eccle- j 
siasticos ordines in ^ 
sancta religione con- 3 
servare digneris. j 

Ut inimicos sanctae Ec- , § 
clesiaB humiliare dig- > ? 
neris. I § 

Ut regibus et principi- g 
bus Christianis pa- 1 ~f> 
cem et veram con- i 
cordiam donare dig- j 
neris. 

Ut cuncto populo 
Chrisiiano pacem et I 
unitatem largiri dig- 1 
neris, 

Ut nosmetipsos in tuo j 
sancto servitio con- J 



Through thy admira- 
ble ascension. 

Through the coming 
of the Holy Ghost, 
the Comforter. 

In the day of judg- 
ment, J 

We sinners do beseech 
thee to hear us. 

That thou spare us. 

That thou pardon us. 

That thou vouchsafe 
to bring us to true 
penance. 

That thou vouchsafe to 
govern and preserve 
thy holy Church. 

That thou vouchsafe to 
preserve our apos- 
tolic prelate, and all j 
ecclesiastical orders 
in holy religion. 

That thou vouchsafe I 
to humble the ene- 
mies of the holy 1 
Church, 

That thou vouchsafe 
to give peace and | 
true concord to ! 
Christian kings and 
princes, 

That thou vouchsafe 
to grant peace and 
unity to all Chris- 
tian people. 

That thou vouchsafe 
to confirm and pre- 



726 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS 



fortare ct conservare 1 
digneris, 

Ut mentes nostras ad 
ccele>tia desideria 
erigas, 

Ut omnibus benefaeto- 
ribus nostris sempi- 
terna bona retribu- c? 
as. ^ 

Ut animas nostras . fra- *^ 
trum, propinquo- g 
rum. et bonefacto- [ j§ 
rum. nostrorum. ab | a 
seterna damnatione ^ 
eripias, ^* 

Ut friictus terrae dare g 
et conservare digne- 
ris, 

Ut omnibus fMelibus 
defunetis requiem 
seternam donare dig- 
neris. 

Ut dos exaudire digneris, 
te. etc. 

Fili Dei. te. etc. 

Agnus Dei.- qui tollis pec- 

eatamundi. paree nobis. 

Domine. 
Agnus Dei. qui tollis pec- 

eata mundi. exaudi nos, 

Domine. 

Agnus Dei. qui tollis pec- 
cata mundi. miserere 
nobis. 



serve us in thy holO 

service. 
That thou lift up our 

minds to heavenly 

desires, 
That thou render eter- i 

nal good things to J- 

all our benefactors, 0< 

That thou deliver our i § 
souls, and those of | ^ 
our brethren, kins- y 
folks, and benefne- 1 ^ 
tors, from eternal ^ 
damnation. ^ 

That thou vouchsafe ** 
to give and preserve i SS 
the fruits of the 
earth. 

That thou vouchsafe 
to give eternal rest 
to all the faithful 
departed^ J 

"That thou vouchsafe gra- 
ciously to hear us. we, 
&c. 

Son of God. we. &c. 

Lamb of God. who takest 
away the sins of the 
world, spare us. OLord. 

Lamb of God. who takest 
away the sins of the 
world, graciously hear 
us. O Lord. 

Lamb of God. who takest 
away the sins of the 
world . have mercy onus. 



LITANY OF THE SAIXTS 



727 



Christe, audi nos, Christe, 
exaudinos. Kvrie elei- 
son. Christe eleison. 
Kvrie eleison. Pater 
noster, [secreto.] 

V. Et ne nos indncas in 

tentationem. 
i?. Seel libera nos a malo. 

PSALM 

Deus. in adjutorium me- 
um intende : * D online, 
ad adjuvandumme festina. 

Confundantur et revere- 
aritur, * qui quaerunt ani- 
mam me am : 

Avertantur retrorsum, 
et erubeseant, * qui volant 
mihi mala : 

Avertantur statim eru- 
bescentes. * qui dicunt 
mihi, Euge. euge. 

Exultent et laetentur in 
te omnes qui qua?runt te. * 
et dicant semper. Magni- 
ficetur Dominu s : qui dili- 
gunt salutare tuum. 

Ego vero egenus et pau- 
per sum: * Deus. adjuva 
me. 

Adjutor meus et libera- 
tor meus es tu : * D online, 
ne moreris. 

Gloria Pair!, etc. 



Christ, hear us. Christ, 
graciously hear us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on 
us. Lard, have mercy 
onus. Our Father, [in 
an undertone.] 

T . And lead us not into 
temptation. 

i?. But deliver us from evil. 

LXIX. 

O God. come to my as- 
sistance : * Lord, make 
haste to help me. 

Let them be confounded 
and ashamed * that seek 
my soul. 

Let them be turned back- 
ward, and blush for shame, 

* that desire evils to me. 
Let them be presently 

turned away blushing for 
shame * that say to me. 
J Tis well, 'tis well. 

Let all that seek thee re- 
joice and be glad in thee : 

* and let such as love thy 
salvation say alwa}~s, The 
Lord be magnified. 

But I am needy and 
poor ; * O God, help me. 

Thou art my helper and 
my deliverer ; * O Lord, 
make no delay. 

Glory be, ate. 



728 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



V. Salvos fac servos 
tuos. 

JR. Deus mens, speran- 
tes in te. 

V. Esto nobis. Domine, 
turns fortitudinis. 

JR. A facie inimici. 

V. Nihil proflciatinimi- 
cus in nobis. 

JR. Et filius iniquitatis 
non apponat nocere nobis. 

V. Domine, non secun- 
dum peccata nostra facias 
nobis. 

R. Neque secundum ini- 
quitates nostras retribuas 
nobis. 

V. Oremus pro ponti- 
fice nostro N. 

R. Dominus conservet 
eum, et vivificet eum, et 
beatum faciat eum in ter- 
ra, et non tradat eum in 
animam inimicorum ejus. 

V. Oremus pro bene-" 
factoribus nostris. 

it. Retribuere dignare, 
Domine, omnibus nobis 
bona facientibus, propter 
nomen tuum, vitam seter- 
nam. Amen. 

V. Oremus pro fideli- 
bus defunctis. 

R. Requiem asternam 



V. Save tb}' servants. 

R. Trusting in thee, O 
my God. 

V. Be unto us. O Lord, 
a tower of strength. 

JR. From the face of the 
enemy. 

V. Let not the enemy 
prevail against us at all. 

JR. Xor the son of in- 
iquity have any power to 
hurt us. 

V. O Lord, deal not 
with us according to our 
sins. 

R. Neither reward us 
according to our iniqui- 
ties. 

V. Let us pra}* for our 
chief bishop, N. 

JR. The Lord preserve 
him, and give him life, and 
make him blessed upon 
earth, and deliver him not 
to the will of his ene- 
mies. 

V. Let us pray for our 
benefactors. 

it. Vouchsafe, O Lord, 
for thy name's sake, to 
reward with eternal life 
all those who have done 
us good. Amen. 

V. Let us pray for the 
faithful departed. 

it. Eternal rest give 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



729 



dona eis, Domine : et lux 
perpetua luceat eis. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 

J?. Amen. 

T 7 ". Pro fratribus nostris 
absentibus. 

R. Salvos fac servos 
tu os, Deus mens, speran- 
tes in te. 

T r . Mitte eis, Domine, 
auxilium cle sancto. 

it. Et de Sion tuere 
eos. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

it. Et clamor meus ad 
te veniat. 



them. O Lord ; and let per- 
petual light shine upon 
them. 

V. May they rest in 
peace. 

it. Amen. 

V. For our absent 
brethren. 

R . O my G od . s a v e thy 
servants trusting in thee. 

T 7 ". Send them help, O 
Lord, from thy holy 
place. 

R. And from Sion pro- 
tect them. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry 
come unto thee. 



Let us pray, 

OGOD, whose property is always to have mercy, 
and to spare, receive our petition, that we. and 
all thy servants who are bound by the chains of sin, 
may, by the compassion of thy goodness, be merci- 
fully absolved. 

Hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy 
suppliants, and pardon the sins of them that confess 
to thee, that in thy bounty thou may est give ub par- 
don and peace. 

Out of thy clemency, O Lord, show thy unspeak- 
able mercy to us, that so thou mayest both acquit us 
Of our sins, and deliver us from the punishments we 
deserve for them. 

O God, who by sin art offended, and by penance 
pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of thy people 



730 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



making supplication to thee, and turn away the 
scourges of thy anger, which we deserve for our sins. 

O almighty and eternal God, have mercy on thy 
servant, JS\, our chief bishop, and direct him accord- 
ing to thy clemency into the way of everlasting salva- 
tion, that, by thy grace, he may desire those things 
that are agreeable to thee, and perform them with all 
his strength. 

O God, from whom are all holy desires, right coun- 
sels, and just works, give to thy servants that peace 
which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be 
disposed to keep thy commandments, and, the fear of 
enemies being removed, the times, by thy protection, 
may be peaceable. 

Inflame. O Lord, our reins and hearts with the fire 
of thy Holy Spirit, that we may serve thee with chaste 
bodies, and please thee with clean hearts. 

O God. the Creator and Redeemer of all the faith- 
ful, give to the souls of thy servants departed the 
remission of all their sins, that, through pious sup- 
plications, they may obtain the pardon which they 
have always desired. 

Direct, we beseech thee, O Lord, our actions by 
thy holy inspirations, and carry them on by thy gra- 
cious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours 
may begin always from thee, and by thee be happily 
ended. 

O almighty and eternal God, who hast dominion 
over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all 
whom thou foreknowest shall be thine by faith and 
good works, we humbly beseech thee that they for 
whom we have determined to oner up our prayers, 
whether this world still detains them in the flesh, or 
the world to come has already received them out of 
their bodies, may, by the clemency of thy goodness, 
all thy saints interceding for them, obtain pardon and 
full remission of all their sins, through our Lord Jesus 



LITANY OF THE SAINTS. 



731 



Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth, one God 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, world without end. 
Amen. 

T 7 *. O Lord, hear our prayer. 
M. And let our cry come unto thee. 
V. May the almighty and most merciful Lord gra- 
ciously hear us. 
R. Amen. 

F". And may the souls of the faithful departed, 
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
H. Amen. 




THE LITAXT OF THE BLESSED 
TRINITY. 



There are three that give testimony in heaven, the Father, the 
Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. — 1 John v. 7. 

A PRAYER TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. 

GLORY be to the Father, who. by his power, hath 
brought me forth from nothing, and created me 
to his own likeness. Glory he to the Son. who. by 
his wisdom, hath delivered me from hell, and opened 
heaven for me. Glory be to the Holy Ghost, who. 
by his mercy, hath sanctified me in baptism, and still 
contihueth to sanctify me. by the graces which I every 
day receive from him. Glory to the three adorable 
Persons of the blessed Trinity, as great now. and for- 
ever, as it was from the beginning. We adore thee, 
O holy Trinity, we worship thee; we most humbly 
give thee thanks for having revealed to us this glori- 
ous, incomprehensible mystery. Grant that, by contin- 
uing to profess, to the last moment of our lives, this holy 
faith, we may behold and glorify eternally in heaven, 
what we are now believing on earth. — One God in 
three Persons, the Father, the Son. and the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 

THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED TRINITY. 




Christ, have mercy on us. 



Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 



732 



LIT ANT OF THE BLESSED TRINITY. 7 

God the Father of heaven. 

God the Son. Redeemer of the world, 

God the Holy Ghost. 

Holy Trinity, one God. 

O sacred Trinity, undivided Godhead of Father. 
Son. and Holy Ghost. 

O sacred Trinity, true and only Deity. 

O sacred Trinity, holy and perfect unity. 

O sacred Trinity, three Persons in one God of 
equal glory and eternal majesty. 

sacred Trinity, from whom, by whom, and in 
whom are all things. 

O sacred Trinity, the essential Being, the uner- 
ring Truth, and the true Life. 

O sacred Trinity, our first principle and our last 
end, 

O sacred Trinity, who hast created man to thy 

image and likeness, 
O God the Father, eternal fountain of all being, I 
O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
O God the Father, of whom all paternity in 

heaven and earth is named. 
O God the Father, who hast chosen us in thy 

Son before the creation of the world. 
O God the Father, who didst so love the world 
as to give thy only -begotten Son to re- 
deem it. 

O God the Father, who seekest such as adore 

thee in spirit and in truth. 
O Gocl the Father, who hast adopted us as thy 

children in Jesus Christ. 
O God the Father, who hast prepared for us a 

glorious inheritance, if we love thee and keep 

thy commandments, 
God the Son, born of the Father before all ages, 
O God the Son, light of light, true God of true 

God, . j 



734 



LITANY OF 



O God the Son, begotten, not made, equal and " 
consubstantial to the Father, 

O God the Son, image of the invisible God, the 
splendor of his glory , and the figure of his sub- 
stance, 

O God the Son, the eternal Word of the Fa- 
ther, 

O God the Son, by whom all things were made, 
O God the Son, who art in the bosom of the 
Father, 

O God the Son, who, to save us sinners, tookest 

upon thyself the frail nature of man, 
O God the Son, who hast been seen upon earth, 

and hast conversed with men, 
O God the Son, in whom it hath pleased the 

Father that all fulness should dwell, 
O God the Son, of whose fulness we all have 

received, 

O God the Son, who, for our redemption, be- - 
earnest obedient unto death, even the death of 
the cross, 

O God the Son, to whom all power in heaven 

and earth is given by the Father, 
O God the Son, who, at the last and dreadful 

da}', wilt come with glory to judge the living 

and the dead, 
O God the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the 

Father and the Son, 
O God the Holy Ghost, the eternal love of the 

Father and the Son, 
O God the Holy Ghost, by whom was wrought 

the glorious mystery of our Saviour's incar- 
nation, 

O God the Holy Ghost, best gift of the Father 

and the Son, 
O God the Holy Ghost, source of all goodness 

and dispenser of all graces, 



THE BLESSED TRINITY. 



735 



O God the Holy Ghost, the strength and com- ' 

forter of our souls, 
O God the Holy Ghost, by whom the charity of 

God is poured into our hearts, 
O God the Holy Ghost, the sanctifier and per- fcq 

fecter of our souls, § 
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, ^ 
Spirit of counsel and fortitude, § 
Spirit of knowledge and godliness, * .g 

Spirit of the fear of the Lord, 
O sacred Trinity, the object of our faith, hope, ^ 

and love upon earth, . § 
O sacred Trinity, whom we now see through a 

glass in an obscure manner, 
O sacred Trinity, whom we shall behold face to 

face in heaven, 
Lamb of God, &c. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. Let us bless the Father and the Son, with the 

Holy Ghost. 
i2. Let us praise and magnify him forever. 

Let us pray. 

\ LMIGHTY and eternal God, by whose gift thy 



acknowledge the glory of an eternal Trinity, and in 
the power of majesty adore a unity, we beseech thee 
that, by the firmness of the same faith, we may be 
secured from all adversities, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 

MOST holy Trinity, one God ; I humbly offer to 
thee, in union with the infinite merits of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, all my prayers, actions, and suf- 




confession of the true faith, 



736 



LIT ANT OF THE BLESSED TRENTFT. 



ferings of this day, for thy greater glory and the 
accomplishment of thy holy will : in honor of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, my holy Angel Guardian, and 
all my patron saints : for the propagation of the devo- 
tion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary : in full 
remission and satisfaction for my sins : for the con- 
version of sinners, and the perseverance of the just ; 
for the gaining of indulgences : for the repose of the 
souls in Purgatory : for the spiritual profit and per- 
fection of the members of our Confraternity, and for 
all those for whom I am bound to pray : and in thanks- 
giving for all the graces which thou hast hitherto 
conferred on me, or that thou wilt hereafter bestow 
on me through the same merits of Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 



PRAYERS AID MEDITATIONS. 



A PARAPHRASE OX THE LORB"S PRAYER. 

Our Father who art in heaven." 

O ALMIGHTY Lord, and maker of heaven and 
earth, infinite in majesty, is it possible that thy 
love and goodness for lis should be so great as to 
suffer such poor worms as we are to call thee Father? 
O. make us ever dutiful children to such a Parent, 
O most holy Father, who dwellest in heaven, raise 
my heart to thee, and teach me. by thy interior grace, 
to pray to thee with attention, devotion, humility, 
and faith. 

" Hallowed be thy name." 

O Heavenly Father, honor and glory be to thy 
name. I rejoice that thou art infinitely glorious, and 
eternally adored, praised, and glorified by angels and 
saints in heaven. But alas ! O Lord, how little art 
thou known, how little art thou loved, how little art 
thou served, in this miserable world ! How is tin- 
name blasphemed, even by those who call themselves 
Christians ! How many millions of souls throughout 
the world, though made to thy image and likeness, 
and redeemed by the precious blood of thy only Son, 
live and die in infidelity, error, and vice ! O. when 
shall this great evil be remedied? O that, like the 
blessed in heaven, we were all united in praising, 
blessing, and loving thee ! But this must be the 
47 737 



738 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS 



work of thy grace. O Lord: and this grace I this 
day beg of thee, that all may adore, praise, and love 
thee, and not in words only, but in deeds, show forth 
the glory of thy name. 

" Thy kingdom come." 

Heaven. Lord, is the seat of thy eternal king- 
dom : there thou livest and reignest forever. But 
whilst we are here in this mortal life, thy kingdom is 
within us as often as thou reignest within our souls 
by thy grace and love. I earnestly beg. both for 
myself and for all others, a share in thy eternal king- 
dom, that we may there be witnesses of thy glory, 
and see. love, praise, and enjoy thee forever. In the 
meanwhile. I beg that the kingdom of thy grace and 
love may henceforth reign within us. and that we may 
nevermore rebel against thee, but be ever faithful 
servants and subjects of thy love. 

" Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 

The blessed in heaven have no other will. Lord, 
but thine. This they ever adore : this they eternally 
love : this they readily and cheerfully obey. that 
we poor, banished children of Adam did equally 
adore, embrace, and love thy holy will ! O Lord, it 
is my sincere desire and fervent prayer that thy holy 
will may be henceforth done in all things. Grant 
that, for the future, thy will be the rule of all our 
actions, and that in all our deliberations, like the 
blessed St. Paul, we may ever cry to thee. --Lord, 
what wouldest thou have me do?" O. grant that, in 
all our sufferings, we may ever conform ourselves to 
thy holy will. 

" Give us this day our daily bread." 

The bread of our souls, which is to support us 
during this day of our mortality, and to nourish us 



PRAYERS AXD MEDITATIONS. 



739 



to life everlasting, is no other. Lord, than thy only 
Son. who has said, " I am the living bread that came 
down from heaven : he that eateth of this bread shall 
live forever ; and the bread that I will give is my 
flesh, for the life of the world." This bread of life 
we earnestly beg of thee ; this we desire often to 
receive saeramentally : this we desire daily to receive 
spirit ually. for the nourishing of our souls with thy 
heavenly grace. O. come, dearest Jesus, to our poor 
souls ; satisfy our hunger here with this heavenly 
bread, till we come to the more happy day of eternity, 
where all veils being removed, we shall forever feed 
upon thy divinity. 

"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that 
trespass against us." 

Our sins, O Lord, are innumerable : the debt that 
we owe thee is infinite ; and. poor and miserable, we 
are unable of ourselves to discharge the least part of 
this debt, or make satisfaction for the least of these 
sins. But. prostrate in spirit before thee, we humbly 
implore thy mercy. We desire to offer thee the 
sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart. We offer 
thee the death and passion of thy only Son. which 
he suffered for us. And as he has promised forgiveness 
to them who forgive, we here, from our hearts, forgive 
all who have offended us, and hope through him to 
find forgiveness from thee. 

" Lead us not into temptation. " 

Alas ! O Lord, man's life upon earth is a continual 
temptation. We are encompassed on all sides with 
mortal enemies — the world, the flesh, and the devil. 
Our only hope, in all these dangers and conflicts, is 
in thy protection. We believe that thou art faithful, 
and wilt not permit us to be tempted above our 
strength. Aim us, then, O Lord, both against the 



740 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS 



terrors and flatteries of the world, and the dangers 
of our passions and concupiscences. And. what- 
ever trials thou art pleased to send upon us. let 
thy supporting grace ever assist us. that, by thy 
favor and mercy, we may he faithful till death, and 
thus merit to receive the crown of life. 

" But deliver us from evil. Amen." 

sovereign Good, the Fountain of grace, deliver 
us from all evils : from our sins, and the punishments 
we deserve for them : from wars, plagues, famines, and 
such like visitations, which we have too much reason 
to apprehend hanging over our heads in consequence 
of our impenitence : from heresy and schism, and all 
blindness of soul to which self-conceit and pride 
expose us — in tine, from obduracy of heart, from 
final impenitence, and everlasting damnation. From 
all these evils, for thy own sake. O Lord, deliver us, 
through Jesus Christ thy Son. Amen. 



MEDITATIONS OX THE PASSION OF OUR 
SAVIOTJR JESUS CHRIST. 

OGOOD and gracious Jesus, who. being most 
high in the glory of thy Father, and of one 
essence with him. didst vouchsafe of thy infinite love 
to be made man. to he horn in a stable, to be laid in a 
manger, to be circumcised, and to fly into Egypt : 
afterwards to be baptized, to be tempted, to fast, to 
watch, to teach the ignorant, and to heal the diseased : 
in thy whole life to suffer continual afflictions and 
persecutions, and at length voluntarily to suffer death 
upon the cross : and all this for me and such wretched 
creatures as myself. 

2. O good and gracious Jesus, who. having eaten 
the paschal lamb with thy dearly-beloved disciples, 



PRAYERS AXD MEDITATIONS 



741 



didst arise from supper, gird thyself with a towel, 
pour water into a basin, and on bended knees didst 
humbly wash the feet of thy disciples, and wipe them 
with thy own hands. 

3. O good and gracious Jesus, who, when the time 
of thy death approached, didst bequeath a most excel- 
lent legacy to thy children, leaving us thy most sacred 
body to be our meat, and thy most precious blood 
to be our drink : no wit can teach, nor understand- 
ing penetrate, the bottomless depth of this thy 
charity. 

4. O good and gracious Jesus, who. having entered 
into the Garden of Olives, begannest to fear and to 
be heavy : whereupon thou saidst to thy disciples^ 
; * My soul is sorrowful, even unto death : " and then, 
leaving them, kneeledst upon the ground, and falling 
flat on thy face, prayedst to thy Father. "If it be 
possible, let this chalice pass from me." And yet, 
with perfect submission, wholly resignedst thyself to 
him. saying. " Father, not my will, but thine be 
done : " and at length, through most painful agony, 
thy afflicted and fainting body sweated drops cf 
blood . 

5. O good and gracious Jesus, who. inflamed with 
an ineffable desire to redeem me. didst go to meet 
thine enemies, and sufferedst Judas the traitor to kiss 
thee, and thyself to be taken and bound with cords, 
and as a malefactor disgracefully led by the basest 
of the people to Annas, where, with admirable meek- 
ness, thou receivedst a cruel stroke on thy face, most 
unjustly given thee by a vile wretch and slave. 

6. O good and gracious Jesus, who wast led. fast 
bound like a notorious malefactor, from Annas to the 
house of Caiaphas the high-priest, where the Jews 
most unjustly accused thee, and with barbarous inso- 
lence spat upon thy meek and amiable faoe-. buffeting 
thy cheeks and blindfolding thine eyes, scornfully 



742 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



mocking, and maliciously affronting thee with inju- 
ries all that night. 

7. O good and gracious Jesus, who in the morn- 
ing wast brought to the presence of Pilate, and, with 
a most sweet and humble countenance, casting thine 
eyes down, stoodest before him in the judgment hall, 
and, when thou wast most falsely calumniated by the 
Jews, and many insults and provocations were given 
thee, thou meekly heldest thy peace, and patientlj' 
sufferedst their unjust proceedings. 

8. O good and gracious Jesus, who wast sent from 
Pilate to Herod ; he, out of vain curiosity, coveting 
to see some miracle at thy hand, demanded many 
things of thee, and the Jews continuing their per- 
verseness against thee ; but to all these thy meekness 
replied not a word ; wherefore Herod and all his court 
despised thee, and, putting on thee a white garment 
in scorn and derision, sent thee thus back again to 
Pilate. O unspeakable humility and obedience to 
the will of thine enemies, thou wentest forth and 
returnedst again, and wast led up and down from 
place to place without gainsaying, but suffering them 
to do whatever they would. 

9. O good and gracious Jesus, who, in the judg- 
ment hall, wast stripped naked, and, without any 
compassion, most cruelly scourged. There was thy 
blessed virginal and tender flesh torn with stripes, 
and altogether mangled and deformed, so that the 
streams of thy most precious blood ran down on every 
side upon the earth. 

10. O good and gracious Jesus, after thy sharp 
and bloody scourging, to put thee to more shame and 
confusion, as also to increase thy torments, they 
clothed thee with an old purple garment, and platting 
a crown of thorns, pressed it on thy holy head, till 
the sharp points pierced thy temples, and thy most 
precious blood ran down and covered thy face and 



PRATERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



743 



neck ; they gave thee in derision a reed for thy scep- 
tre, and. kneeling down before thee in scorn, sainted 
thee, saying. " Hail, king of the Jews : " then took 
they the reed out of thy hand, and with it struck thy 
sacred head, and again spat upon thy sacred face. 

11. good and gracious Jesus, who wast brought 
forth from Pilate to the Jews to be gazed on. wearing 
the crown of thorns and purple garment. Pilate show- 
ing thee to the people, and saying, Behold the 
man : " but they cried out with a loud voice and in- 
satiable malice, i; Crucify him. crucify him ! " 

12. O good and gracious Jesus, thou wast delivered 
rip to the will and pleasure of the Jews, who imme- 
diately led thee to be crucified, laying thy heavy 
cross upon thy sore and bloody shoulders : thus didst 
thou humbly bear thy own cross, whose weight pained 
thee excessively, and coming to the place all weary 
and breathless, thou refusedst not to taste wine min- 
gled with gall and myrrh, which was the only relief 
there given thee. 

13. O good and gracious Jesus, being come to Mount 
Calvary, thou wast again stripped naked, when thy 
wounds were renewed by the violent pulling off of 
thy clothes. What bitter pains didst thou suffer, 
when thou wast fastened to the cross with rough 
nails, and the joints of thy limbs stretched as on a 
rack ! O. with what love and sweetness of charity 
didst thou suffer thy hands and feet to be pierced 
through, whence, as from a fountain, thy precious 
blood gushed out ! 

14. O good and gracious Jesus, who. hanging on 
the cross between two thieves, wast assailed with 
blasphemies, and after so long a continuance of thy 
tortures, prayedst to thy Father to forgive them : and 
even when their fury was at the highest, didst exer- 
cise the greatest bounty, promising paradise to the 
repenting thief, and bequeathing thy dearly-beloved 



744 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



Mother (who. pierced with sorrow, stood by the cross) 
to thy beloved disciple John, and in him to ns all ; 
and after thon hadst suffered for three long hours in- 
tolerable pains and extreme thirst, they gave thee 
vinegar to drink, which, when thon hadst tasted, 
bowing down thy venerable head, thou yieldedst up 
thy spirit. 

15. O good and gracious Jesus, O good Shepherd, 
thus thou bestowedst thy life for thy sheep ; and even 
after death still thou wouldest suffer for us, the sacred 
side of thy dead body being opened with a spear, out 
of which flowed water and blood. Thus at last ended 
all thy sufferings : and thy enemies, having slaked 
their thirst for thy blood, and being gone away, thy 
disciples came and took thy immaculate body down 
from the cross, reposed it on the knees of thy blessed 
Mother, and after all imaginable expressions of piety, 
reverence, and love, wrapped it up in linen, and laid 
it in a sepulchre. 

Prayer. 

OMILD and innocent Lamb of God, thus heartily 
thou didst love me ; these things thou didst for 
me ; these pains most patiently and lovingly thou 
suffereclst for me. What shall I render unto thee ? 
I adore and glorify thee, I praise thee and give thee 
thanks with all the powers of my soul. Jesus, Son 
of the living God, King of kings, and Lord of lords. 
Hail, most glorious Redeemer of our souls, whose 
death quickens and gives life to the world. 

O blessed Saviour, have mercy on me, for thy good- 
ness' sake ; forgive me all my sins, destroy and mor- 
tify in me whatever displeaseth thee. Make me one 
according to thy heart, and grant that to the utmost 
of my power I may most diligently imitate thy holy 
life. O. blessed Father of heaven,- behold, I offer the 
most holy incarnation, life, and passion of thy dearly- 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



745 



beloved Son Jesus Christ, in full satisfaction for all 
my sins, and perfect amendment of my life. Grant, 
most merciful Father, for the merits of thy only- 
begotten Son. to the living mercy and grace, and to 
the souls departed rest and lite everlasting. Amen. 



THIRTY DAYS' PRAYER 

TO OUR BLESSED REDEEMER, IN HONOR OE HIS BITTER PA SSION. 

GLORY", honor, and praise be to our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; may all the world adore thee. Blessed 
be thy holy name, who for us sinners vouchsafedst to 
be born of a humble Virgin ; and blessed be thine 
infinite goodness, who didst die upon the cross for 
our redemption. 

O Jesus. Son of God, and Saviour of mankind, 
we beseech thee to have mercy on us, and so dispose 
our lives here by thy grace, that we may hereafter 
rejoice with thee forever in thy heavenly kingdom. 
Amen. 

ODEAR pJesus, my blessed Saviour and Redeemer, 
the sweet comforter of all sad. desolate, and 
distressed souls, behold thy poor servant, humbly 
prostrate at the foot of thy holy cross, bewailing her 
misery, imploring thy mercy, and beseeching thee to 
take pity and compassion upon her in this her present 
and pressing affliction, (infirmity, poverty, tempta- 
tion, trouble, or whatsoever other spiritual or corpo- 
ral necessity.) 

Hear my prayers, assured refuge of all afflicted 
wretches, behold my tears, consider my sorrows, and 
remedy my distresses ; for. finding myself encom- 
passed with very grievous calamities, by reason of 
my great crimes, I know not whither to fly for succor, 



746 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



or to whorn I may make my moan, but to thee, my 
meek and merciful Saviour, with a full hope and 
confidence that thou. my loving Redeemer, wilt 
vouchsafe to lend the ears of thy accustomed clem- 
ency to the humble petition of thy poor child. This 
blessing I earnestly beg of thee, by that sweetness 
which thy blessed soul experienced at the time of thy 
alliance with our human nature, when thou remainedst 
true God and true man for the space of nine months, 
in the chaste womb of thy blessed Mother. 

By the anguish thou enduredst, when, the time of 
thy passion drawing nigh, thou prayedst to thy eter- 
nal Father, that, if it accorded with his most divine 
providence, thou desiredst that the bitter chalice 
might pass away from thee : yet concluding with a 
perfect act of resignation, " Father, not my will, but 
thine be done." 

By the outrageous injuries, shameful disgraces, 
cruel blows, contumelious blasphemies, false accusa- 
tions, and unjust judgments, which thou, innocent 
Lamb, patiently enduredst : by the shackles which 
fettered thy limbs, the tears which flowed from thine 
eyes, the blood which trickled from thy whole body ; 
by the fears, sorrows, and sadness of thy heart : by 
the shame thou didst experience in being stripped of 
thy garments, to hang naked on the cross, in the sight 
of thy sorrowful Mother, and in the presence of all 
the people. 

By thy royal head crowned with thorns, and smit- 
ten with a reed ; by thy thirst quenched with vinegar 
and gall : by thy side opened with a spear, whence 
issued blood and water, to refresh our souls with that 
living fountain of thy love and mercy : by the sharp 
nails wherewith thy tender hands and feet were cruel- 
ly pierced and fastened to the cross ; by the recom- 
mendation of thy departing soul to thy heavenly 
Father, saying, " Into thy hands I commend my 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



747 



spirit;" by thy praying for thy enemies, u Father, 
forgive them, for they know not what they do ; " by 
thy giving up the ghost, when thou criedst out with 
a loud voice, " My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me ? " and then, bowing down thy most blessed 
head to impart the kiss of peace, saiclst, 44 It is con- 
summated. " 

By the great mercy thou showedst towards the pen- 
itent thief, saying, " This day thou shalt be with me 
in paradise ; " by thy descent into limbo, and the joy 
thou communicatedst to the just souls therein de- 
tained ; b} T the gloiy of thy triumphant resurrection, 
and the consoling apparition thou frequently didst 
make, for forty clays' space, to thy sacred Virgin 
Mother, to thy apostles, and thy other chosen friends 
and servants ; by thy admirable ascension, when, in 
the sight of thy Mother and thy apostles, thou wast 
elevated into heaven ; by the miraculous coming down 
of the Holy Ghost in the form of fiery tongues, 
whereby thou replenishedst the hearts of thy disci- 
ples with thy love, gayest them strength and courage 
to plant thy faith in the Avhole world ; by the dread- 
ful day of general judgment, on which thou art to 
pass sentence on all mankind. 

By all those sorrows, joys, passions, compassions, 
and whatsoever else is near and dear to thee in 
heaven and on earth, take pit}' on me, O compassion- 
ate Redeemer, hear my prayers, and grant me that 
for which I now most humbly and heartily petition 
thee. 

[Mention here the thing you desire, or reflect mentally 
upon it.] 

Give me, O gracious Saviour, speedy and efficacious 
feelings of thy divine succor and comfort, who, ac- 
cording to the accustomed sweetness of thy tender 
heart, art wont to grant the requests of those who 



748 



PRAYERS AXD MEDITATIONS 



really fear and love thee, even to their souls' desire 
and satisfaction ; bestow on me also. O my blessed 
Lord Jesus, a lively and firm faith, a confident hope, 
a perfect charity, a true contrition, a sincere con- 
fession, a competent satisfaction, a diligent custody 
of myself from all future failings, an heroic contempt 
of the world, a complete conquest of my passions, a 
zealous imitation of thy exemplary life and conversa- 
tion, an entire accomplishment of my vows, an abso- 
lute mortification of my self-will, a willing readiness 
to die for thy love and honor, final perseverance in 
grace and good works, a happy departure of my soul 
out of this world, with my perfect senses about me. 
thy holy sacraments to strengthen me ; thyself. O 
clear Jesus, to comfort me : thy sacred Virgin Mother, 
with the saints, my particular patrons, to pray for 
me ; and my good angel to conduct me to eternal 
rest, eternal life, eternal happiness. Amen. 

THE THIRTY DAYS' PRAYER 

TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, IX HONOR OF THE PASSION 
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

It is particularly recommended as a proper devotion for 
every day in Lent, and all the Fridays throughout the year. 

EVER-GLORIOUS and blessed Mary. Queen of 
virgins. Mother of mercy, hope and comfort of 
dejected and desolate souls, through that sword 
of sorrow which pierced thy tender heart whilst thine 
only Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, suffered death and 
ignominy on the cross ; through that filial tenderness 
and pure love he had for thee, grieving in thy grief, 
w hilst from his cross he recommended thee to the care 
and protection of his beloved disciple St. John, — 
take pity, I beseech thee, on my poverty and neces- 
sities ; have compassion on my anxieties and cares ; 
assist and comfort me in all my infirmities and mis- 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



749 



eries, of what kind soever. Thou art the Mother of 
mercies, the sweet comforter and only refuge of the 
needy and the orphan, of the desolate and the afflicted. 
Cast, therefore, an eye of pity on a miserable and 
forlorn child of Eve, and hear my prayer ; for since, 
in just punishment of my sins, I find myself encom- 
passed by a multitude of evils, and oppressed with 
much anguish of spirit, whither can I fly for more 
secure shelter, O amiable Mother of my Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ, than under the wings of thy 
maternal protection? Attend, therefore, I beseech 
thee, with pity and compassion, to my humble and 
earnest request. I ask it through the bowels of 
mercy of thy dear Son ; through that love and con- 
descension where with he embraced our nature, when, 
in compliance with the divine will, thou gavest thy 
consent, and whom, after the expiration of nine 
months, thou didst bring forth from the chaste en- 
closure of thy womb, to visit this world, and bless it 
with his presence. I ask it through that anguish of 
mind wherewith thy beloved Son, our dear Saviour, 
was overwhelmed on Mount Olivet, when he besought 
his eternal Father to remove from him, if possible, 
the bitter chalice of his future passion. I ask it 
through the threefold repetition of his prayer in the 
garden, whence afterwards, with dolorous steps and 
mournful tears, thou didst accompany him to the 
theatre of his death and sufferings. I ask it through 
the stripes and bruises of his virginal flesh, occasioned 
by the cords and whips wherewith he was bound and 
scourged when stripped of his seamless garment, for 
which his executioners afterwards cast lots. I ask it 
through the scoffs and ignominies by which he was in- 
sulted ; the false accusations and unjust sentence by 
which he was condemned to death, and which he bore 
with heavenly patience. I ask it through his bitter 
tears and bloody sweat, his silence and resignation, 



750 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



his sadness and grief of heart. I ask it through the 
blood which trickled from his royal and sacred head 
when struck with his sceptre of a reed, and pierced 
with his crown of thorns. I ask it through the ex- 
cruciating torments he suffered when his hands and 
feet were fastened with gross nails to the tree of the 
cross. I ask it through his vehement thirst and bitter 
potion of vinegar and gall. I ask it through his 
dereliction on the cross when he exclaimed, "My 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" I ask 
it through his mere}' extended to the good thief, and 
through his recommending his precious soul into the 
hands of his eternal Father before he expired, saying, 
"All is consummated." I ask it through the blood 
mixed with water which issued from his sacred side 
when pierced with a lance, whence also a flood of 
grace and mere}' has flowed to us. I ask it through 
his immaculate life, bitter passion, and ignominious 
death on the cross, at which nature itself was thrown 
into convulsions b}' the bursting of rocks, the rending 
of the veil of the temple, the earthquake, and the 
darkness of the sun and moon. I ask it through his 
descent into hell, where he comforted the saints of 
the old law with his presence, and led captivity cap- 
tive. I ask it through his glorious victory over death 
when he rose again to life on the third day, and 
through the joj^ which his appearance for forty days 
after gave thee, his blessed Mother, his apostles, and 
the rest of his disciples, when, in thine and their pres- 
ence, he miraculously ascended into heaven. I ask 
it through the grace of the Holy Ghost infused into 
the hearts of the disciples when he descended upon 
them in the form of rleiy tongues, by which they were 
inspired with zeal for the conversion of the world. I 
ask it through the awful appearance of thy Son at the 
last dreadful day, when he shall come to judge the 
living and the dead, and the world by fire. I ask it 



PRATERS AND MEDITATIONS 



751 



through the compassion he bore thee in his life, and 
the ineffable joy thou didst feel at thine assumption 
into heaven, where thou art eternally absorbed in the 
sweet contemplation of his divine perfections. 
glorious and ever-blessed Virgin, comfort the heart 

of thy suppliant by obtaining for me .* As I am 

persuaded my divine Saviour doth honor thee as his 
beloved Mother, to whom he can refuse nothing, so 
let me speedily experience the efficacy of thy powerful 
intercession, according to the tenderness of thy ma- 
ternal affection and his filial, loving heart, who merci- 
fully grant eth the requests, and complieth with the 
desires, of those that love and fear him. most 
blessed Virgin, besides the object of my present 
petition, and whatsoever else I may stand in need of, 
obtain for me also of thy dear Son. our Lord and our 
God. a lively faith, firm hope, perfect charity, true 
contrition of heart, unfeigned tears of compunction, 
sincere confession, condign satisfaction, abstinence 
from sin. love of God and my neighbor, contempt of 
the world, patience to suffer affronts and ignominies ; 
nay. even, if necessary, an opprobrious death itself — 
for the love of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
Obtain likewise for me, O sacred Mother of God. 
perseverance in good works, performance of good 
resolutions, mortification of self-will, a pious conver- 
sation through life. and. at my last moments, strong 
and sincere repentance, accompanied by such a lively 
and attentive presence of mind as may enable me to 
receive the last sacraments of the Church worthily, 
and die in thy friendship and favor. Lastly, obtain, 
I beseech thee, for the souls of my parents, brethren, 
relations, and benefactors, both living and dead, life 
everlasting Amen. 



* Here mention or reflect on your lawful request, with the reservation of its 
beincr agreeable to the will of God, who sees whether it wiil contribute towards 
your spiritual good. 



752 



PRAYERS AXD MEDITATIONS. 



PRAYER ASSOCIATION. 

By a rescript, dated 5th September, 1852, our Holy Father 
Pius IX., at the instance of the national council of Baltimore, 
sanctions, by the grant of indulgences, the institution of a soci- 
ety whose members shall especially pray for the conversion of 
all who are out of the communion of the Church in the United 
States. 

1. A PLENARY indulgence on receiving the 
J~\ Easter communion to all the members, who 
shall daily recite, in any language, the folio wing- 
prayer : 

Almighty and eternal God. who savest all. and wilt 
have none to perish, have regard to those souls who 
are led astray by the deceits of the devil, that, reject- 
ing all errors, the hearts of those who err may he con- 
verted, and may return to the unity of thy truth ; 
through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

2. A plenary indulgence in the hour of death, on 
condition of receiving the holy eucharist. after con- 
fessing their sins with true sorrow : or. if they cannot 
receive it. on their invoking the name of Jesus with 
their lips, or at least in their heart. 

3. An indulgence of a hundred days every time the 
members recite the above prayer. 

4. Those who cannot recite the above prayer may 
obtain the same indulgences by saying daily in its 
stead the " Our Father,' 3 " Hail Mary " and 64 Glory 
be to the Father," with the same intention. 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS 



753 



SIX PRAYEES OF ST. BRIDGET, 

TO BE SAID IX HOXOR OF THE SACKED TTOUXDS OF OUR 
BLESSED SAVIOUR. 

1. MOST sweet Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal 
sweetness of those who love thee, the joy, 
desire, and firm hope of the hopeless, solace of the 
sorrowful, and most merciful Lover of all penitent 
sinners, who hast said thy delight is to be with the 
sons of men. for the love of whom thou didst assume 
human nature in the fulness of time : remember, most 
sweet Lord Jesus, all those sharp sorrows which did 
pierce thy sacred soul, from the first instant of thy 
incarnation until the time of thy sorrowful passion, 
preordained from all eternity. Remember. O most 
amiable Saviour, all that bitter anguish thou didst 
suffer, when, at thy last supper, thou didst wash the 
feet of thy disciples, didst feed them with the sacred 
banquet of thy precious body and blood, and. most 
sweetly comforting them, didst foretell them thy ensuing 
passion, after which, going to Mount Olivet, thou saidst, 
h - My soul is sorrowful unto death." Remember. I be- 
seech thee, O most sweet Saviour, that bitter grief 
and anguish which thy sacred soul did sutler, when, 
praying three several times to thy heaA'enly Father, 
thou didst sweat water and blood, thou wast betrayed 
by thy own disciple, apprehended by thy chosen peo- 
ple, accused by false witnesses, unjustly arraigned 
before three judges, and in thy chosen city, in the 
paschal solemnity, in the flourishing age of thy youth, 
wrongfully condemned, bound, beaten, spurned, spit 
upon, despoiled of thy garments, and clothed with 
others in scorn ; wast blindfolded, buffeted, spit upon 
again, bound naked to a pillar, most cruelly scourged, 
crowned with thorns, struck witli a reed, and atilicted 
with innumerable other torments, pains, and injuries. 
48 



754 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



my Lord Jesus, by the memory and merit of all 
that bitter pain and anguish before thou breatheclst 
thy last upon the cross, vouchsafe to grant me, before 
in)' death, true contrition, entire confession, a flowing 
fountain of tears, full satisfaction, and plenary remis- 
sion of all my sins. Amen. 

O most gracious Lord Jesus, be propitious to me a 
sinner. 

Our Father, &c. Hail Mary, &c. 

2. O most sweet Lord Jesus, ever-flowing fountain 
of heavenly delights, remember, I beseech thee, that 
grief and sorrow which thou didst suffer when thy 
cruel enemies, like fierce lions, with furious and 
dreadful looks, compassing thee round about, did 
tear off th}' hair, spit upon thy sacred face, scratch, 
buffet thee, and with all manner of unheard-of inju- 
ries, outrages, and torments, did most cruelly and 
basely blaspheme, scorn, and affront thee. O most 
sweet Lord Jesus, by all those most barbarous and 
inhuman outrages which thou didst suffer, vouchsafe 
to deliver me from all my enemies, visible and invisi- 
ble, that, protected under the shadow of thy wings, 

1 may safely arrive at the port of eternal glory. 
Amen. 

O most gracious Lord Jesus, &c. 

3. O most sweet Lord Jesus, omnipotent Creator 
and Fabricator of the world, and Repairer of man- 
kind, who containest both heaven and earth in thy 
hand, and whose immensity no bounds can limit, re- 
member, I beseech thee, that bitter pain and anguish 
which thou didst endure when the perfidious Jews 
pierced thy delicate and tender hands and feet with 
most rough and blunt nails, stretching them forth 
violently with cords to the holes they had made in 
the cross. Thus they heaped dolors upon dolors, most 



PRAYERS AND MEDITJrTIONS. 755 

cruelly disjointing all thy bones, breaking all thy 
veins, and renewing all thy sacred wounds. O most 
sweet Jesus, by the memory of all these pains and 
torments on the cross, vouchsafe to give me thy fear 
and love, with perfect charity towards my neighbor. 
Amen. 

O most pious Lord Jesus. &c. 

4. O most sweet Lord Jesus, heavenly Physician 
of human nature, and eternal King, remember. I be- 
seech thee, all those bitter pains which thou didst 
endure in thy sacred members, who. being raised up 
upon the cross, with all thy precious body rent and 
torn, all thy bones being so disjointed that not one 
remained in its right place, not having, from the 
crown of thy head unto the soles of thy feet, any 
part left whole, so that no dolor could be compared 
to thine, at which time, being unmindful of thine own 
torments, thou didst mercifully pray to thy heavenly 
Father for thy cruel enemies, saying. "Father, for- 
give them, for they know not what they do.*' O most 
meek and merciful Lord Jesus, by this thy admirable 
benignity, goodness, love, and mercy, and by all thy 
bitter pains and torments, grant that the memory of 
thy dolorous passion may be to me a most powerful 
protection of my soul and body against ail the deceits, 
temptations, and molestations of the devils, my cruel 
enemies. Amen. 

O most merciful Lord Jesus. &c. 

5. most sweet Lord Jesus Christ, mirror of eter- 
nal brightness, and wisdom of the omnipotent Father, 
remember the bitter grief and sorrow thy sacred soul 
did feel when beholding in the clear mirror of thy 
divine presence the predestination of the elect, who, 
through the merits of thy most wholesome passion, 
were to be saved, and the reprobation of the wicked, 



756 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



who. for their ingratitude, were to be damned, and 
the abyss .of thy immense mercy, by which thou didst 
commiserate and shed tears for us miserable, lost, for- 
lorn sinners : and chiefly by that mercy thou didst 
show to the thief upon the cross, saying to him. "This 
day thou shalt be with me in paradise." I beseech thee, 
O most sweet Lord Jesus, my Lord and my God, to 
show the like mercy to me, now and at the hour of 
my death. Amen. 

O most sweet Lord Jesus, &c. 

6. O most sweet Lord Jesus, omnipotent King, and 
most amiable Friend, remember the bitter grief and 
sorrow thy sacred soul did suffer, when, being for- 
saken by all thy friends and acquaintances, thou didst 
hang naked, rent, and torn upon the cross, not hav- 
ing any to comfort or compassionate thee, but only 
the blessed Virgin Mary, thy Mother, who. standing 
under the cross, in the bitterness of her soul, accom- 
panied thee in all thy torments, unto whom thou didst 
commend thy beloved disciple St. John in thy place, 
saying unto her. " Woman, behold thy son." and after 
to that disciple. 4 • Behold thy mother." O most sweet 
Lord Jesus, by that sword which did then transpierce 
her sacred soul, and by the tender love and compas- 
sion wherewith thou didst behold the sad distress of 
thy sorrowful Mother, have pity and compassion on 
me. I beseech thee, my dearest Lord, and mercifully 
help, comfort, succor, and assist me in all my tribula- 
tions, adversities, necessities, sorrows, and sufferings, 
both spiritual and corporal. Amen. 

most blessed Lord Jesus, &c. 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



757 



PEAYEES TO JESUS, SUFFERING FOE THE 
REDEMPTION OF MANKIND. 

TO BE RECITED IN PASSION TIME, OX FRIDAYS, ETC. 

OMOST sweet Jesus, praying to thy Father in 
the garden, and in thy agony shedding drops 
of thy sacred blood, have mercy on us. 

The congregation answer, after every verse : 

Have mere}' on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, delivered 03- the traitor's kiss 
into the hands of the impious, taken and bound as a 
thief, and forsaken by thy disciples, have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, condemned to death by the 
unjust council of the Jews, led to Pilate as a male- 
factor, and disdained and mocked by impious Herod, 
have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, stripped of thy garments, and 
most cruelly scourged with whips at the pillar, have 
mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, crowned with thorns, buf- 
feted, struck with a reed, blindfolded, clothed with a 
purple garment, and many ways scorned and loaded 
with reproaches, have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, less esteemed than the mur- 
derer Barabbas, rejected by the Jews, and condemned 
to the cruel death of the cross, have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, loaded with a heavy cross, 
and led to the place of punishment as a sheep to the 
slaughter, have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mere}' on us. 



758 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIOXS. 



O most sweet Jesus, hanging between two thieves, 
blasphemed and derided, drinking gall and vinegar, 
and suffering most dreadful torments on the cross 
from the sixth to the ninth hour, have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, dying on the cross, and pierced 
with a spear in the sight of thy holy Mother, and 
shedding blood and water from thy sacred side, have 
mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, whose bod}' was taken down 
from the cross, and bedewed with the tears of thy 
most sorrowful Virgin Mother, have mercy on us. 

Have mere}' on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

O most sweet Jesus, torn and bruised all over thy 
body, marked with five wounds, embalmed with 
spices, and laid in the sepulchre, have mercy on us. 

Have inercy on us, O Lord ; have mercy on us. 

V. He was wounded for our iniquities, 
it. He was bruised for our sins. 

Let us pray. 

O God, who, for the redemption of the world, didst 
vouchsafe to be born ; to be circumcised, rejected by 
the Jews, and betrayed with a kiss b}' Judas ; to be 
bound with fetters, led as an innocent Iamb to the 
slaughter, and ignominiously brought before Annas, 
Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod ; to be accused by false 
witnesses, scourged with whips, and buffeted ; to be 
reproached, spit upon, crowned with thorns, struck 
with a reed, blindfolded, stripped of thy clothes, 
nailed on the cross, and placed between two thieves ; 
to drink gall and vinegar ; and to be pierced in thy 
side with a spear, — thou, O Lord, by these most holy 
pains, which we, unworthy, commemorate, and by 
thy most holy passion and death, deliver us from the 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



759 



pains of hell, and vouchsafe to conduct us whither 
thou didst conduct the good thief crucified with thee. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, O God of my heart, by those 
five wounds which the love of us inflicted upon thee 
on the cross, assist thy servant whom thou hast 
redeemed with thy precious blood ; thou. who. with 
the Father and Holy Ghost, livest and reignest one 
God, world without end. Amen. 

Look down, O Lord, we beseech thee, on this thy 
family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ scrupled not 
to be delivered into the hands of wicked men. and to 
undergo the punishment of the cross ; who liveth, &c. 



VIA CRUCIS, OR PRAYERS FOR THE STATIONS.* 

Preparatory Prayer. 

RECEIVE. O holy Trinity, this my dutiful ser- 
vice, which I offer unto thee, in union with the 
merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Vir- 
gin, and all the saints, to the glory of thy divine 
majesty, in satisfaction for my sins, in remembrance 
of our redemption, and to obtain for the departed 
rest, for the living grace, and for all everlasting 
glory. To thee be praise, and honor, and glory, O 
blessed Trinity, forever and ever. Amen. 

STATION FIRST. 
Christ is condemned to death. 

HE willingly submitted to that unjust judgment, 
that he might deliver thee from the sentence of 
everlasting damnation. 

Ant. The wicked have said, reasoning with them- 
selves, but not right, Let us lie in wait for the just, 

* For the many indulgences attached to this devotion, see Raccolta. 



760 



PRAYERS AXD MEDITATIONS. 



for he is contrary to our doing : he boasteth that he 
hath the knowledge of God. and eaileth God his 
Father. Let us see if his words he true. If he he 
indeed the Son of God. he will deliver him out of our 
hands. Let us condemn him to a most shameful 
death. 

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, 
have mercy. 

Our Father, Hail Mary. 

T". God spared not his own Son. 

Ji. But delivered him up for us all. 

V. He was offered up because he himself desired it. 

i?. And he opened not his mouth. 

T". Lord, hear my prayer. 

H. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, who, out of the bosom of * 
the Father, didst descend from heaven to earth, 
and didst shed thy most precious blood for the 
remission of our sins, we humbly beseech thee, that 
in the day of judgment we may be found worthy to 
stand at thy right hand, and to hear thee say unto 
us: "Come, ye blessed." &c. ; who livest and reign- 
est with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God forever and ever. Amen. 

STATION SECOND. 

The cross is laid upon Christ. 

THE wicked have wrought upon my back." (Ps. 
exxviii.) Hail our King ! thou only hadst pity 
on our sins, and wast led. in obedience to thy Father, 
to be crucified, and as a gentle lamb to the slaughter. 
To thee be glory, hosanna : to thee be triumph and 
victory ; to thee the crown of highest praise and 
honor. 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS 



761 



Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, 
have mercy. 

Oar Father. Hail Mary. 

T . The chastisement of our peace was upon him. 
R. And by his bruises we are healed. 
T . The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
It. For the wickedness of his people hath he 
struck him. 

] . O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer as before, i; Lord Jesus Christ/' &c. 

STATION THIRD. 
Christ falls the first time under the cross. 

HOVT great must be the weight of our sins, under 
which he fell, who bears all things by the word 
of his power ! 

Ant. Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself unto 
death, even the death of the cross : for which cause 
God also hath exalted Mm, and hath given him a 
name which is above all names. 
Lord, have mercy. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

T . Surely he hath borne our infirmities. 

II. And carried our sorrows. 

V. He was branded for our iniquities. 

R. He was bruised for our sins. 

T 7 ! O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

STATION FOURTH. 
Christ is met on his way by his blessed. Mother and St. John. 

OHO W sharp a sword of grief must have pierced 
the heart of his mother, and of his loving dis- 
ciple, when they met Jesus thus ! Dost thou, too, 
share with them their sorrow and grief? 



762 



PRATERS AND MEMTATICNS 



Ant. all ye that pass by. attend and see if there 
be any sorrow like to my sorrow : therefore do I 
weep, and my eyes run down with water, because the 
Comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me. 
My eyes have failed for weeping : my bowels are 
troubled : my heart is turned within me. for the 
desolation of my Son. because the enemy hath pre- 
vailed. 

Lord, have mercy. &c. 

Our Father. Hal! Mary. 

V. Great as the sea is thy grief. 
B. AVho shall heal thee?* 

V. A sword of grief hath pierced thine own soul. 
B. That out of many hearts thoughts may be 
revealed. 

T . O Lord, hear my prayer. 

B. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ. <kc. 

STATION FIFTH. 
The cross is laid upon Simon of Cyrene. 

THIS man was compelled to carry the cross after 
Jesus. How great an honor to have carried it 
willingly ! Art thou ready to bear the cross of 
Christ? 1 

Ant. It behooveth us to glory in the cross of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, who is 
our life and resurrection, and through whom we are 
saved and delivered. 

Lord, have mercy. &c. 

Our FaAher. Hail Mary. 

V. God forbid that I should glory, save in the 
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS 



703 



It. By whom the world is crucified unto me. and 
I unto the world. 

V. O faithful cross, thou peerless tree. 

It. No forest yields the like of thee. leaf, flower, 
or bud. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

It. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ. &c. 

STATION SIXTH. 
Christ is met by Veronica. 

HOW excellent a mirror did Veronica obtain in 
the image of the face of C hrist ! Do thou ever 
contemplate thyself in that mirror. 

Ant. Behold, we have seen him without beauty or 
comeliness, despised and the most abject of men : a 
man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity, and 
his look was as it were hidden and despised : where- 
upon we esteemed him not. Llis appearance is with- 
out honor among the living, and his beauty among 
the sons of men : yet he is beautiful above all the 
children of men : by whose bruises we are healed. 
Lord, have mercy. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

Y. Lord God of hosts, correct us. 

It. Show us thy face, and we shall be saved. 

V. Turn not away thy face from us. 

It. Neither leave thy servants in displeasure. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

B. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ. &c. 



764 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



STATION SEVENTH. 
Christ falls down at the gate o f judgment. 

HO TV" wilt thou be able to stand before him in the 
clay of judgment ? 
Ant. They delivered me into the hands of the 
ungodly, and thrust me among the wicked, and did 
not spare my soul. The strong men gathered them- 
selves against me, and stood over me like giants, 
gazing upon me with fierce looks ; and, beating me 
with cruel stripes, they mocked me. 
Lord, have mercy. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

F". But I am a worm, and no man. 
li. The scorn of men, and the outcast of the 
people. 

V. All they that see me laugh at me. 
i?. They spake against me with their lips, and 
wagged their heads. 

V. Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 

STATION EIGHTH. 
Women lament over Christ. 

WHERE are the tears with which thou dost be- 
wail tlry sins, rather than the loss of any 
earthly good? 

Ant. Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, 
but aveep for yourselves and for your children. For 
behold, the days shall come in which they say. 
Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not 
borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



765 



shall they begin to say to the mountains. Fall upon 
us ; and to the hills. Cover us. For if in the green 
wood they do these things, what shall he done in 
the dry? 

Lord, have mercy, &c. 

Oar Father. Hail Mary. 

V. The breath of our nostrils, Christ the Lord, 

JR. Is taken in our sins. 

T 7 ". The crown of our head hath fallen. 

JR. Woe unto us, for we have sinned. 

T 7 ". O Lord, hear my prayer. 

JR. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
O Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 

STATION XIXTH. 
Christ falls for the last time at Mount Calvary. 

OHOW often is Christ pressed down by the weight 
of our sins ! 

Ant. O my people, what have I done to thee, or 
wherein have I molested thee? Answer thou me. I 
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and thou 
hast prepared for me a cross ; I led thee through the 
wilderness forty years, and fed thee with manna, 
and thou hast beaten me with buffets and scourges ; 
I gave thee a royal sceptre, and thou hast given my 
head a crown of thorns. What could I have done 
more for thee, that I have not done? 

Lord, have mercy, &c. 

Our Father. Hail Mary. 

V. He is led like a sheep to the slaughter. 

JR. And as a lamb before his shearers, he is dumb. 

V. He delivered his soul unto death. 

JR. That he might give life unto his people. 



766 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

P. And let ruy cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
O Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 

STATION TENTH. 

Christ is stripped of his garments, and is given vinegar and 
gall to drink. 

AET thou unkind and inconsiderate to the poor? 
What thou dost to them, thou dost to Christ. 
Ant. O my people, what have I done to thee, or 
wherein have I molested thee? Answer thou me. I 
brought thee out from the house of bondage to the 
promised land : and when I came to thee from the 
bosom of my Father, thou didst lead me to the death 
of the cross. I planted thee my choicest vine, and 
thou wast made unto me exceeding bitter ; I gave 
thee to drink out of the rock the water of salvation, 
and thou madest me to drink vinegar and gall. 
What could I have done for thee, that I have not 
done ? 

Lord, have mercy. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

"P. My strength hath dried up like a potsherd. 
H. And my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws. 
V. They gave me gall to eat. 

P. And when I was thirsty, the}' gave me vinegar 
to drink. 

V: O Lord, hear my prayer. 

P. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
O Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 



PRAYERS AND MEDITATIONS. 



767 



STATION ELEVENTH. 
Christ is fastened to the cross with dreadful nails. 

HOW strong are the bands of love with which 
Jesus hath bound himself unto thee ! How 
dost thou bind thyself in return unto hirn? 

Ant. O my people, what have I done unto thee? 
I exalted thee with great power, and thou didst hang 
me on the gibbet of the cross ; I made thee higher 
than all nations, and thou hast loaded me with 
reproaches and curses ; I opened before thee the Red 
Sea, and thou hast opened my side with a spear. 
What could I have done more for thee, that I have 
not done ? 

Lord, have mercy, &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

V. What are these wounds in the middle of tlry 
hands ? 

B. With them was I wounded in the house of 
those that loved me. 

V. They have pierced my hands and my feet. 

H. And have numbered all my bones. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer . 
O Lord Jesus Christ, &e. 



STATION TWELFTH. 

Christ dies upon the cross. 

CONSIDER what Jesus said and did when he was 
dying. O that thou, too. mayest die like him ! 
Ant. Behold how the just man dieth, and no man 
layeth it to heart ; and the righteous are taken away, 



733 PRATERS AND MEDITATIONS. 

and no one considereth. The just man is taken away 
from before the face of evil, and the memory ol hirn 
shall be in peace. 

Lord, have merey. &e. 

Our Father, Hail Mary. 

T. Christ became obedient unto death for ns. 
B. Even the death of the cross. 

T . >Ve adore thee. O Christ, and we bless thee. 
It. Because by thy holy cross thou hast redeemed 
the world. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 
22. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ. <kc. 

STATION THIRTEENTH. 

The body of Christ is taken down from the cross, and laid 
upon the knees of his Mother. 

CONSIDER the vehement anguish of Man 's soul 
when she received in her arms the dead body of 
her Son taken down from the cross, and laid him on 
her knees. LoA~e caused her so great grief, and made 
her truly a martyr. What love and sympathy dost 
thou feel for thy Saviour? 

Ant. To what shall I compare thee, or to whom 
shall I liken thee. O Daughter of Jerusalem? To 
what shall I equal thee. O Virgin Daughter of Zion? 
Great as the sea is thy desolation. O Mother of 
mercy, make me to share with thee the death of 
Christ : make me a partaker of his passion. 
Lord, have mercy. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

V. Through thee. Virgin Mary, may we obtain 
salvation. 



PRAYERS AXD ME I ITATIONS 



759 



Ft. From the wounds of Christ. 
V. O holy Jesus, grant me to obtain, through thy 
Mother. 

H. The crown of victory. 

T . Lord, hear my prayer. 

JS. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ. &c. 

STATION FOURTEENTH . 
TJie body of Jesus is buried, 

CONSIDER, my soul, how the body of Jesus 
was wrapped in spices, and laid in a new tomb. 
With what honor dost thou receive Jesus thy Re- 
deemer daily, either sacramentally or spiritually ? or 
art thou always endeavoring to be. as it were- a new 
tomb for the reception of Jesus, bright with the beau- 
tiful ornaments of virtue ? 

Ant. I am counted among them that go down to 
the pit ; I am become as a man without help, free 
among the dead. O good Jesus. I come here with 
the women to thy tomb, sorrowing and lamenting 
that hitherto I have shown myself so unworthy : con- 
firm and establish the kingdom of thy grace in my 
heart. 

Lord, have mercy. &c. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

V. My flesh shall rest in hope. 
R. Thou wilt not give thy holy one to see cor- 
ruption . 

T . Arise. Lord, and help me. 
Fi. And deliver me from my bins. 
49 



770 



PBAYERS AND MEDITATIONS 



V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

H. And let my cry come unto thee. 

Prayer. 
Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 

Commendation. 

LOOK down. O Lord, we beseech thee, upon this 
thy family, for which our Lord Jesus Christ did 
not refuse to be delivered into the hands of wicked 
men, and to endure the torment of the cross ; who 
liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, God forever and ever. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, at whose death and passion, according to 
the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of sorrow did 
pierce through the soul of thy ever-glorious and 
Virgin Mother Mary, mercifully grant, that we. who 
devoutly celebrate her sorrows and sufferings, may, 
by the merits and prayers of all the saints who stood 
faithfully beneath thy cross, obtain the blessed fruit 
of thy passion, who livest, &c. Amen. 

For gaining the indulgences granted by the Sovereign 
Pontiffs, say five " Our Fathers," live "Hail Marys," five 
" Glory be to the Father," &e. 



THE 



LIT AX Y OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 



.1 > Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have roerey on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy 
on us. 

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God. have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, Queen of angels, pray for us. 
St. Michael, who always wast the defender of i 

the people of God. 

St. Gabriel, who wast appointed to announce 

the incarnation of the eternal Word, 
St. Eaphael. the conductor of Tobias, 
Holy Seraphim, ^ 
Holy Cherubira, § 
Holy Thrones. ^ 
Holy Dominations, ^ 
Holy Virtues, - 
Holy Powers. 
Holy Principalities, 
Holy Archangels, 
Holy Angels, 

O ye. who stand around the throne of the most 




high God, 



771 



772 



LITANY OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 



ye. who always see the face of the heavenly ' 
Father, 

O ye. to whom God has committed the care 
and guardianship of mankind. 

O ye. who brought forth Lot and Iris family 
from the midst of the wicked, 

ye. who ministered to Christ in the desert, 
when he had put the tempter to flight, 

O ye, who carried Lazarus into Abraham's 
bosom. 

O ye, who often delivered the servants of God 
from prison and dangers. 

O ye., who often comforted the holy martyrs in 
the midst of torments. 

O ye. who cany up and offer to God the 
prayers of his servants. 

ye. who have joy in heaven upon one sinner's 
doing penance, [ 

O ye. who have been set over nations, king- 
doms, and provinces, 

O ye. who will attend upon Jesus Christ when 
he comes to judge the world, 

ye ministering spirits, sent to minister for 
those who shall receive the inheritance of salva- 
tion, 

O ye angels of the Lord, who are mighty in 
strength, and execute his word, hearkening to 
the voice of his orders. 

O ye. the hosts of the Lord, his ministers, who 
do his will. 

O thou holy angel, my faithful guardian. 
Holy angel, my guide and my friend, 
Holy angel, my counsellor and powerful inter- 
cessor, 

Holy angel, my protector and comforter. 

Alb ye orders of blessed spirits, 

Be merciful unto us ; spare us, O Lord. . 



LITANY OF THE HOLY ANGELS. 



773 



Be merciful unto us ; hear us, O Lord. 
From all dangers, by thy holy angels, O Lord, 
deliver us. 

From the snares of the devil, by thy holy angels, 
O Lord, deliver us. 

From all sin, by thy holy angels, O Lord, deliver 
us. 

From a sudden and unprovided death, by tlry holy 
angels, O Lord, deliver us. 

We sinners do beseech thee to hear us. 

Through the intercession of thy holy angels, we 
beseech thee to hear us. 

That thou spare us, we beseech thee to hear us. 




THE LITAXY 



FOR OBTAINING A GOOD DEATH. 



LORD JESUS, gracious God. Father of merer. 
. I present myself before thee with a humble and 
contrite heart. I recommend my last hour, and all 
that shall follow, into thy hands. 

When my immovable feet will warn me thati 
my course in this life will soon be finished. 

When my eyes, obscured at the approach of 
death, shall cast their dying looks towards thee. I 
When my lips, cold and trembling, will pro- j 
nounce for the last time thy adorable name. i § 
When my pale and livid cheeks will inspire the C£ 
beholders with compassion. I ^- 

When the cold sweat of death will announce >< 
my approaching end, I p 

When my ears shall be about to close to every | * 
human voice, and open only to hear the irrevoca- f 5" 
ble sentence of thy justice, which shall separate i § 
me from the number of the liviiig, ^ 
When my imagination, agitated by dark and I ^ 
terrifying phantoms, will be plunged in cruel i § 
sadness. I g 

When my mind, troubled at the sight of my " 
iniquities, and by the fear of thy justice, shall 
contend with the angel of darkness, who would 
hide thy mercies from me, and cast me into 
despair, 

774 



LIT AX Y FOR OBTAINING A GOOD DEATH. 775 



When my weak heart, overpowered b}' the ' 
pains of sickness, will be seized with the horrors 
of death. 

When I shall be surrounded by my relatives 
and friends, lamenting my sad condition, and 
offering up their supplications in my behalf, 

When I shall shed my last tears, the forerun- 
ners of my dissolution, receiving them as a tribute 
of penance. 

When I shall have lost the use of my senses, 
and the whole world shall disappear from my 
view, 

When the last sighs of my heart shall force my 
soul from my body, accepting them as expres- 
sive of a holy impatience to be thine, 

When my soul shall be on my lips, departing 
from this world, and shall leave my body cold 
and lifeless, accepting the destruction of my 
being as a homage paid to thy divine majesty. 

When my soul shall appear before thee, and 
for the first time behold the glory of thy counte- 
nance. O that it may not be then cast from thee, 
but that it may be received into the bosom of 
thy mercy, to sing tlrv praises forever, 



i 



Let us pray. 

OGOD. who. condemning us to death, hast con- 
cealed from us the moment of its occurrence, 
grant that, spending all the days of our lives in 
justice and holiness, we may have the happiness 
to breathe our last in thy love, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



INSTRUCTIONS AXD PRAYERS 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, 

ETC. 



WHENEVER God shall please to visit you with sickness, 
you ought to prepare diligently to die well. For that 
purpose, endeavor to disengage your heart from the cares of 
this world, and from all inordinate attachments ; receive 
devoutly the sacraments of the Church, and implore the 
Almighty most earnestly to grant you all the graces you stand 
in need of. 

Recall to mind the passion and death of our Redeemer 
Jesus Christ, embrace in your heart his cross, kiss his sacred 
feet, take refuge in his wounds, that you may now escape the 
snares which beset you, earnestly beseeching him to cleanse 
your soul with his precious blood, and to pardon you all your 
transgressions; but, inasmuch as your own life has been 
unprofitable and imperfect, be careful to offer up to the 
Father of mercies the infinite merits of his eternal Son, his 
incarnation, his labors, his agonies, his sufferings, and his 
death. 

Recommend yourself moreover to the powerful intercession 
of his Virgin Mother, and to the prayers of all the saints, 
hoping most confidently that if you are truly sorry for your 
sins, if you detest them from your heart, these charitable 
intercessors will obtain for you the graces most necessary to 
conduct you safely through this dangerous passage. 

A PROFESSION TO BE MADE BY THE SICK. 

I SINCERELY profess and acknowledge, O n~y 
God, that the pains I now surfer are most justly 
due to my manifold offences. I accept them at thy 
hand with the most profound submission, abandoning 
myself entirely to thy will. I forgiye from my heart 

776 



PRAYERS FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 777 

all those who at any time have offended or injured 
me ; and I humbly entreat all those whom I have 
unhappily offended to vouchsafe to pardon me in turn. 

PRAYER. 

OMY God, behold. I receive this sickness with 
which thou art pleased to visit me. as coming 
from thy hand. It is thy will it should be thus with 
me, and therefore I submit. Thy will be done on 
earth as it is in heaven. May this sickness be to the 
honor of thy holy name, and for the good of my soul. 
For this end I offer myself with an entire submission 
to all thy appointments, to surfer whatever thou pleas- 
est, as long as thou pleasest, and in what manner 
thou pleasest ; for I am thy creature, O Lord, who 
have most ungratefully offended thee ; and since my 
sins have a long time cried to heaven for justice, why 
shall I now complain if I feel thy hand upon me ? No, 
my God ; thou art just in all thy ways ; I have truly 
deserved this punishment, and therefore I have no 
reason to complain of thee, but only of my own 
wickedness. 

Rebuke me not, O Lord, in thy fury, nor chastise 
me in thy wrath, but have regard to my weakness. 
Thou knowest how frail I am ; that I am nothing but 
dust and ashes. Deal not with me according + o my 
sins, neither punish me according to my iniquities, 
but according to the multitude of thy most tender 
mercies have compassion on me. O, let thy justice 
be tempered with mercy, and let thy heavenly grace 
come to my assistance, to support me in this my ill- 
ness. Confirm my soul with strength from above, 
that I may bear with true Christian patience all the 
uneasiness, pains, disquiets, and difficulties of my 
sickness, and that I may cheerfully accept them as 
the just punishments of my offences. Preserve me 
from all temptations, and be thou my defence against 



778 



INSTRUCTIONS AXD PRAYERS 



all the assaults of the enemy, that in this illness I 
may nowise offend thee. And if this is to be my 
last, I beg of thee so to direct me by thy grace that 
I may never neglect thee, nor be deprived of those 
helps which thou hast, in thy mercy, ordained for the 
good of my soul, to prepare it for its passage into 
eternity ; that, being perfectly cleansed from all my 
sins, I may believe in thee, put my whole trust in 
thee, love thee above all things, and, through the 
merits of the death and passion of thy most beloved 
Son, be admitted into the company of the blessed, 
where I may praise thee forever. Amen. 

O BLESSED Jesus, the fountain of mercy, I 
humbly crave thy grace so effectually to spend 
this my transitory life in virtuous and holy exercises, 
that when the day of my death shall arrive, though I 
should feel pain in my body, grant that I may find 
comfort in my soul, and with a lively hope in thy 
mercy, a sincere love of thee, and in perfect charity 
with the whole world, depart out of this vale of mis- 
ery, and be received into the mansions of everlasting 
glory and happiness. Amen. 

PRAYER OF ST. VINCENT FOR A HAPPY DEATH. 

OMY sovereign Lord Jesus, who diedst for the 
salvation of the whole world, and desirest not 
that any one should perish, to whom I never present 
my prayers without confidence, relying on thy gra- 
cious promise that whatsoever shall be asked in thy 
name shall be granted ; I beseech thee, by that sweet 
and sacred name, that, at the hour of my death, thou 
wilt be pleased to give me the perfect use of my 
senses, true contrition for my sins, a lively faith, a firm 
hope, and a perfect charity, that I may then say to 
thee, with a pure and sincere heart : 4 4 Into thy hands, 
O my Saviour Jesus, I commend my spirit." 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



779 



A PRATER BEFORE RECEIVING THE VIATICUM, OR THE 
HOLY COMMUNION. 

ODEAE Jesus, I adore thee with all my heart ; 
I give thee thanks for that infinite love which 
thou showedst to poor sinners in dying for them 
on the cross, and for thy unspeakable goodness dis- 
played in this heavenly banquet. Hither thou art now 
pleased to invite me ; but how can I approach — I who 
have so ungratefully offended thee, and who have 
lived so unworthy of my profession ? 

I acknowledge. O God. that I am a sinner, a poor, 
miserable sinner. Thou alone art my hope. To thee 
I raise my eyes, who art rich in mercy, who art my 
Advocate and most powerful Mediator. I commit 
my cause into thy hands. Help me now in my dis- 
tress. Let thy precious blood, the infinite treasure 
of thy merits, supply all my deficiencies, while I par- 
take of this sacred food. Thou knowest my weak- 
ness ; thou knowest my un worthiness ; thou seest 
how unfit I am. through the multitude and enormity 
of my sins, to appear before thy judgment-seat. I 
tremble at that dreadful hour, when my manifold 
ingratitude shall be laid before me. What shall I do, 
then. O Keeper of men? What must become of me, 
if my iniquities are to decide my eternal destiny ? O 
Jesus, let me not go alone into that place of terror. 
Come thou into my soul ; accompany it to the tribunal 
of God ; there let all thy mercies plead for me. Though 
I have nothing to trust to in myself, yet upon thy 
infinite goodness I have every reason to rely. Let us, 
then, my soul, confidently recur to the mercies of our 
Lord ; there let us shelter ourselves in the virtue of 
his blessed wounds ; then, though our sins cry aloud 
for justice, his precious blood cries still louder for 
mercy. It is on this mercy I depend ; in this I hope ; 



780 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



and in this hope I desire to die. Come, dear Jesus, 
now into my soul, and possess it forever. 

Thou art my Lord and my God ; behold, I am 
thy servant. Give me understanding, and strengthen 
me. that I may ever conform to thy holy will. 

Thou art the Lamb of God, the spotless Lamb, who 
takest away the sins of the world. Take from me all 
that is sinful, and give me that which is pleasing in 
thy sight. 

Thou art my love and my joy. my God and my all ; 
thou art my portion and inheritance ; it is thou who 
wilt restore my inheritance to me. 

Let the powerful force of thy love affect all my 
faculties ; let it entirely change my heart, that, for 
love of thee, I may die to the world, who. for the love 
of me, wast pleased to die on the cross. 

Into thy hands I commit and surrender my spirit, 
and remainder of my life, and my whole being, whilst 
I am in possession of it. and have the power of 
making the offer and sacrifice. 



SHORT ACTS OF THANKSGIVING, AFTER HAVING RE- 
CEIVED THE HOLY COMMUNION, OR VIATICUM. 

GLORY and thanksgiving be to thee, O Lord, 
who, in thy sweetness, hast been pleased to visit 
and refresh my poor soul. Now let thy servant 
depart in peace, according to thy word. 

Give me thy blessing, 6 Jesus, and establish my 
soul in everlasting peace — such peace as only thou 
canst give ; such peace as it may not be in the power 
of man to destiw. 

O that I were happily united to thee forever ! O 
that my soul were at rest in thy happiness, and in the 
enjoyment of thee, my God, forever ! 

Into thy hands I commend my spirit. Receive me, 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



781 



sweet Jesus ; in thee may I rest, and in thy happiness 
rejoice without end. Amen. 

Eor other prayers after communion, see page 4S6. 

A PRAYER BEFORE EXTRE3IE UNCTION. 

T OED Jesus Christ, who, in thy great mercy, 



cessities, grant me grace to have recourse to them 
with such dispositions that my soul may partake of 
all those great advantages and salutary effects which 
thou hast appointed in their institution. Thou hast 
instituted the sacrament of extreme unction for the 
benefit of the sick, who, in their extremity, stand 
more particularly in need of grace and consolation. 
I now desire to receive this heavenly medicine for the 
ends for which it has been instituted. Grant, I be- 
seech thee, that this holy unction may produce in me 
all its happ3 r fruits, by healing my son!, by fortifying 
me against all temptations, by supporting me in the 
hour of anguish and distress, and by preparing me for 
a happy passage, or for whatever may be thy holy 
will. If thou foreseest that my health will be con- 
ducive to thy greater glory, and expedient for my 
eternal salvation, let this be the means to restore it. 
I absolutely submit to thy will ; I wish not so much 
to live as to serve thee. Dispose of me as thou 
knowest best ; all I desire is the accomplishment of 
thy will. Give me health or sickness, life or death ; 
give me whatever thou pleasest ; not my will, but 
thine be done. It is a greater happiness to fulfil thy 
will than to enjoy ten thousand lives. How happy 
should I be, if the destruction of 1113' body could re- 
pair the injuries I have offered to tlry divine majesty ! 
My e}'es, alas ! have seen vanities ; my ears have been 
open to detractions, to profane and unprofitable dis- 
courses ; my tongue has many ways offended, both in 




powerful resources for all our ne- 



782 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



speaking and tasting ; my hands have contributed to 
many follies ; my feet have often gone astray in the 
paths of vanity and sin. By this holy anointing, and 
by the prayers of thy Church, pardon me, Lord, all 
the sins which I have committed by my senses. Let 
those avenues, through which sin has made its way 
into my soul, be now shut to the world. Let my eyes 
be open to thee above. Let my ears be attentive to 
thy commandments. Let my tongue be solely em- 
ployed in soliciting for mercy. Let my prayers ascend 
like incense in thy sight. Let my hands be lifted up 
to heaven for pardon. Let my feet walk in thy ways, 
and let my heart be the living temple of the Holy 
Ghost. Into thy hands. dear Jesus. I commend 
my spirit. In thee I will live, in thee I will die. in 
thee I will abide, and in thee I hope to possess eternal 
rest forever and ever. Amen. 



A PRAYER AFTER EXTREME UNCTION. 

OMY God. thou hast created, redeemed, and 
sanctified me ; thou hast preserved me in many 
dangers, both of soul and body. Thou hast nourished 
me with the adorable sacrament of thy body and blood, 
and granted me to receive the rites of thy C hurch, 
preferably to so many others, who were carried oil' by 
a sudden death, without having been favored with 
those succors which thou hast bestowed upon me. 
a most ungrateful sinner. For these and all other 
blessings I offer thee innumerable thanks ; to thee I 
resign my heart : receive it for a holocaust. I do not 
desire to be freed from my pains : thou knowest what 
is best for me. Take from me all murmuring : give 
me patience to sutler whatever thou pleasest ; if it be 
thy divine pleasure to inflict on my weak body greater 
punishments than I now suffer, my heart is ready, O 
Lord,. my heart is ready to accept them, and to suffer 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



783 



in whatever manner and measure shall be most con- 
formable to thy will. This one grace I most earnestly 
beg of thee, my GocL that I may die the death of thy 
elect, and be admitted, after the sufferings and tribu- 
lations of this transitory life, into the kingdom of thy 
glory, there to see and enjoy thee, in the compairy of 
the blessed, for all eternity. Amen. 

If the dying Christian is unable to recite the following 
prayers, let them be suggested by some charitable assistant, 
distinctly, and at intervals. 

T ADORE thee, O good Jesus, who by thy suffer- 
X ings hast redeemed the world. Save me now, O 
my Jesus, who hast redeemed me by thy blood. 
Draw me to thee, who hast promised to draw all 
things to thee. Hold me fast, and let no power of 
the enemy take me out of tiry hands ; let nothing any 
more divide me from thee. 

Merciful Jesus, I beseech thee, by thy precious 
blood, which thou wast pleased to shed for sinners, 
wash me, purify me, and cleanse me from all my 
iniquities. 

O soul of Christ, sanctify me ; blood of Christ, 
purify me ; body of Christ, save me ; water from the 
side of Christ, wash me ; passion of Christ, comfort 
and strengthen me. O good Jesus, graciously hear 
me ; hide me within thy wounds ; be ever with me ; 
call me at the hour of death ; command me to come 
to thee, that I may, with thy blessed, praise thee 
without end. 

My Lord and Creator, my Redeemer Jesus Christ, 
I deliver myself into thy hands ; refuse not, I beseech 
thee, the offer I make ; to thee I come ; cast me not 
away from thee. 

Cast me not away from thy presence , and take not 
thy Holy Spirit from me ; let not my wickedness 
destroy the work of thy infinite goodness. 



784 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



Look on me with eyes of mere}', my Lord Jesus 
Christ, eternal King, God and Man, who wast cruci- 
fied for man. Give ear to my cry, because I put my 
trust in thee. Haye mercy on me, who am coyered 
oyer with misery ; thou who art the fountain of mercy, 
a fountain eyer flowing. Hail, sacred Victim, who for 
me, and the sins of the whole world, wast offered on 
the cross. 

Hail, generous and precious blood, flowing from the 
wounds of my crucified Lord, and washing away the 
sins of the world ! Be mindful, O Lord, of me. thy 
poor creature, whom thou hast redeemed with thy 
blood. 

Far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified 
to me, and I to the world. 

I see thee, my dear Redeemer, fastened on the cross, 
with thy arms stretched forth, and thy head bowing 
down, as ready to receive us into thy embraces. I 
hear thee, in words of full compassion, inviting all to 
come to thee: u Come to me. all ye that labor and 
are heavy-laden, and I will refresh you." 

Behold I come, Lord ; do with me according to thy 
word, and mercifully refresh me. I come weary and 
tired under the weight of my sins ; but deal mercifully 
with thy seryant, for thou hast borne all our infirmi- 
ties on the cross, and to obtain pardon for us hast 
laid down thy life. 

TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

JESUS CHRIST, fountain of mercy, have compas- 
sion on thy poor seryant, and help me in this time 
of my distress. Let thy death and passion plead for 
me, and stand betwixt my soul and thy justice. 

I give myself wholly into thy hands ; reject me not. 
Now, Lord, according to thy good will, show mercy 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



785 



to me ; command my soul to be received in peace, for 
thou hast redeemed me. God of truth. Lord Jesus, 
let those sweet words sound in my ears : " This day 
thou shalt be with me in paradise." 

Receive me. my crucified Jesus, into thy loving 
arms, which were stretched forth on the cross for me ; 
receive me into those embraces of thy infinite charity, 
and draw my soul to thee : receive me, good Jesus, 
in thy mercy ; receive my soul in peace. 

Enlighten. Jesus, my eyes, that I sleep not in 
death : that my enemy may never say he has pre- 
vailed against me. 

Remember not. Lord, my inicjuities ; let thy mer- 
cies make haste to help me ; for behold, I am poor and 
miserable. 

Lord Jesus, by the merits of thy sufferings, com- 
mand me to be received among the number of thy 
chosen servants. 

Enter not. Lord, into judgment with thy servant, 
for in thy sight no man can be justified but by thee. 

This one thing I ask of our Lord, that I may dwell 
in his house forever. 

Receive me according to thy promise, and I shall 
live, and not be disappointed of my hope. 

OTHER SHORT PRAYERS. 

ETERXAL Father. I am that unworthy servant 
whom thou hast so loved as to give thy only 
Son for me. Show mercy to me now at this hour, 
and let not his precious blood be lost on me. 

JESUS CHRIST, I am that lost sheep whom thou 
hast sought with so much pains, and brought back 
upon thy shoulders. I have run astray like a lost 
sheep ; but thou art the good Shepherd, who givest 
thy life for thy sheep. Seek now thy servant, and 
50 



786 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



let me be lost no more : let the enemy have no more 
power over me, but take me into thy protection. 

O JESUS, I am that miserable one. who, going 
from Jerusalem, fell among thieves, was wound- 
ed and left half dead ; thou art my Physician, and that 
good Samaritan, who. having compassion on me. hast 
bound up my wounds, and healed them with thy blood ; 
thou hast borne all our infirmities, and by thy anguish 
have we been healed. Have mercy on me. Lord, in 
this my last hour. Lord, make haste to help me, that 
my soul die not forever. 

O JESUS. I am an unhappy sinner, and guilty of 
many crimes ; but thou art my advocate with the 
Father, and the propitiation for my offences. Thou 
wiliest not the death of a sinner, but that he live ; thy 
coming into this world was to save us sinners ; have 
mercy therefore on me in this my extremity ; be now 
my Mediator and Advocate with the Father. O good 
Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner. Into thy hands 
I commend my spirit. 

PRAYER OF ST. JEROME, IN TIME OF AGONY. 

MERCIFUL Jesus, thou art my strength, my 
refuge, and my deliverer. In thee I have be- 
lieved and hoped ; thee have I loved. Call me now, 
I beseech thee, and I will answer ; stretch forth thy 
hand of mercy to the work of thy hands, and let me 
not perish, whom thou hast redeemed with thy sacred 
blood. 

It is now time for dust to return to dust, and my 
spirit to thee, who gavest it. Open then. O Lord, the 
gates of life and receive me. Receive me, most mer- 
ciful Lord, according to the multitude of thy tender 
mercies, who received the thief on the cross, and pre- 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



787 



pare ra^y soul for hearing the same consoling promise 
of merer which he did. I am sick. O Lord, and my 
life is withering away ; therefore I am come to thee, 
my Physician ; heal me. then, my God, and I shall 
be healed. Let me not be confounded, because I put 
my trust in thee : in thee have I hoped ; let me not 
be cast on forever. 

Thou knowest, O Lord, my life has been filled with 
sin and misery, but thou aboundest in mercy ; there- 
fore, in the spirit of humility, and a contrite heart. I 
now beseech thee to receive me. O good Jesus, the 
life and health of my soul, take me now into thy pro- 
tection, and let me be entirely thine ; let me enjoy 
thee forever. 

"When the sick person draws so near towards his death that 
no further applications can be made to him, let the devout 
assistants charitably pray for him in this or the like manner : 

OMOST compassionate Jesus, take pity on him. 
O Jesus, the Redeemer, lover, and life of 
Christian souls, have mercy on him. 

O Jesus, the sweet comforter of all desolate and 
distressed sinners, comfort, encourage, and strengthen 
him. 

O holy Mary, the refuge of sinners, pray for him. 

O Mother of mercy, Mother of grace, Mother of 
Jesus. Mother of power, pity him, protect him, de- 
fend him, assist him, in this his greatest extremity. 

O glorious St. Joseph, the nursing father of Jesus, 
and virginal spouse of the Virgin Mary, pray for him. 

O angelical spirit, who has been hitherto his faith- 
ful guardian, do not now abandon him, but conduct 
his soul to its prepared place of eternal rest and hap- 
piness. 

O all ye holy saints and angels, and you. St. jV., his 
special patron, receive him into your happy company. 
O Jesus, be thou to him a Jesus, and save him. 



788 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



LOED Jesus Christ, we beseech thee by tlw bitter 
agony and prayer in the garden, that thou 
wouldest be pleased to be an advocate with thy eter- 
nal Father, in behalf of this thy servant. Lay before 
him all those drops of blood which, in thy anguish of 
spirit, flowed from thy body, and offer them for the 
remission of all his sins : that so. in this hour of his 
extremity, he may be discharged from that handwrit- 
ing which stands against him. and from all that pun- 
ishment which he fears too justly due to his sins. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

IOED Jesus Christ, who wast pleased to suffer 
s death on the cross for us. we beseech thee to 
offer up all that anguish and pain which thou then 
didst endure, and most especially at the hour of thy 
death, in behalf of this thy servant, that they may be 
accepted in his favor, for the good of his soul, for 
the obtaining a happy hour, and for the release from 
that punishment which he has deserved for his sins. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

T OED Jesus Christ, who hadst that love for us as to 
X-^ become man for our salvation, we beseech thee to 
show thy charity and goodness to the eternal Father ; 
let it appear for this thy servant, and plead his cause, 
that by this powerful mediation he may be freed from 
all his sins ; that he may be safe at the hour of his 
departure, and find the gate of life open to him. 
Our Father. Hail Mary. 

LOED Jesus Christ, who by thy precious blood 
hast redeemed us. we beseech thee to imprint 
deep in the soul of this thy servant the memory of 
thy most sacred wounds, that having them in his 
sight, he may be encouraged to suffer with patience 
and resolution, and be armed against all the pangs 



FOR THE SICK, DYTXG. DEAD, ETC. 



789 



of death. Thus let him cheerfully submit to all the 
difficulties of his condition, and begin even here to 
be united to thee with a love that shall never end. 

Grant him now to partake of the fruit of thy holy 
incarnation, of thy bitter passion, of thy glorious 
resurrection, and admirable ascension. 

Grant he may be sensible of the effects of thy holy 
mysteries and sacraments, and of all the prayers 
which are offered to thee by thy whole Church. 

Eemember. Lord, that thou once wa*t in the straits 
of death : that in thy extremity thou didst cry out to 
thy eternal Father, commending thy spirit to him. and 
so expiredst. Behold, now. this thy servant in his 
anguish cries aloud to thee : stand thou by him, de- 
fend and comfort him in this his distress, and receive 
his soul in mercy. 

Remember. O Jesus, that thy arms were stretched 
forth upon the cross, thy side was opened, and thy 
sacred head bowed down. Have regard now. we be- 
seech thee, to the soul of this thy servant, which, 
departing out of this world, seeks refuge in thee : 
receive it into thy arms, give it shelter in thy breast, 
and there let it hide itself, secure from all enemies, 
till the anger of God pass over. Into thy hands we 
commend his spirit, which has been created and re- 
deemed by thee : despise not, we beseech thee, the 
work of thy hands. 

CHRIST JESUS, who wast crucified for our re- 
demption, we beseech thee, by that love which 
brought thee from heaven, to have compassion on the 
soul of this thy servant : forgive him all his sins, and 
by the merits of thy bitter passion satisfy for all his 
failings, and supply his defects : let him now experi- 
ence the multitude of thy tender mercies, and be sen- 
sible how good his Lord is. Dispose now his soul by 
trry grace, that he ma}' be prepared at thy call to go 



790 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



forth to meet thee. Grant him, we beseech thee, 
true patience and perfect resignation in his pains and 
anguish. Give him a full discharge from all his sins ; 
confirm his faith, strengthen him in hope, and perfect 
his charity, that, departing hence, his son! may he 
received into thy mercy. O dear Redeemer, by that 
distress which thou sufieredst on the cross when thou 
didst cry out to thy eternal Father, we pray thee show 
mercy to this thy servant in his extremity ; hear the 
sighs and desires of his heart, and since he cannot 
now speak for himself, speak thou for him, we be- 
seech thee, who art the eternal Word, and to whom 
the Father will refuse nothing. 

By thy victory over death, and the infinite merit 
of thy passion, we beg tnee, in behalf of this thy 
servant, to have no other thoughts but of peace, of 
inefcy, and comfort, and not of affliction. Bear him 
up against all distrust and despair ; deliver him from 
his necessities, and be his comforter in his distress. 
Let those hands which were once nailed to the cross 
now plead for him, and obtaining his pardon, conduct 
him into thy eternal rest. Amen. 

INTERCESSION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

OIIOLY Mother of Jesus, by that sword of 
sorrow which pierced thy tender heart, when 
standing by thy dear Son hanging on the cross, and 
heard him uttering his last words, and beheld him 
expiring, we beseech thee to assist this dying child 
with thy prayers, whom his brother Jesus recom- 
mended to thy peculiar care, with, 4c O woman, be- 
hold thy son. 5 ' Turn thy eyes of pit}" and compassion 
towards him, O blessed Mother ; pray for him in this 
his extreme misery and affliction, in this his last and 
greatest necessity, O clement, pious, sweet Vir- 
gin Mary. 



FOR THE SICK. DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



791 



L 



THE RECOMMENDATION OF A SOUL DEPARTING. 

ORD, have mercy on us. 



Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have rnercy on us. 
Holy Mary, 

All ye holy angels and archangels, 
Holy Abel, 

All ye choir of the just, 
Holy Abraham, 
St. John Baptist, 
All }^e patriarchs and prophets, 
St. Peter, 
St. Paul, 
St. Andrew, 
St. John, 

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, 
All ye holy disciples of our Lord, 
All ye holy innocents, 
St. Stephen, 
St. Laurence, 
All ye holy martyrs, 
St. Sylvester, 
St. Gregory, 
St. Augustine, 

All ye holy bishops and confessors, 
St. Benedict, 
St. Dominic, 
St. Francis, 

All ye holy monks and hermits, 
St. Mary Magdalen, 
St. Lucy, 

All ye holy virgins and widows, 
All ye saints of God, make intercession for him, (her.) 
Be merciful, spare him, (her.) O Lord. 
Be merciful, deliver him, (her.) O Lord. 
Be merciful, deliver him, (her.) O Lord. 



792 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



From thy anger, 
From the clanger of death, 
From an evil end, 
From the pains of hell, 
From the power of the devil, 
By thy nativity, 
B}' thy cross and passion, 
By thy death and burial, 
By thy glorious resurrection, 

B}' thy admirable ascension, bn 
By the grace of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, 
In the day of judgment, 
We sinners beseech thee to hear us. 
That thou spare him, we beseech thee to hear us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have meixy on us. 

Let its pray. 

DEPAET, Christian soul, out of this world, in the 
name of God the Father Almighty, who created 
thee ; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living 
God, who suffered for thee : in the name of the Holy 
Ghost, who sanctified thee ; in the name of the angels, 
archangels, thrones and dominations, cherubim and 
seraphim ; in the name of the patriarchs and proph- 
ets, of the holy apostles and evangelists, of the holy 
martyrs and confessors, of the holy monks and her- 
mits, of the holy virgins, and of all the saints of God. 
Let thy place be this clay in peace, and thy abode in 
holy Zion, through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



WE commend to thee, O Lord, the soul of this 
thy servant, and beseech thee, Jesus Christ, 
Redeemer of the world, that as, in mercy to him. thou 
becamest man, so now thou wouldest vouchsafe to 
admit him into the number of the blessed. Bemem- 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



793 



ber, Lord, he is thy creature, not made by strange 
gods, but by thee, the only true and living God ; for 
there is no other God but thee, none that can work 
thy wonders. Let his soul rind comfort in thy sight, 
and remember not his former sins, nor any of those 
excesses which he has fallen into through the vio- 
lence of passion and corruption ; for. although he has 
sinned, yet he has still retained a true faith in thee, 
Father. Son. and Holy Ghost ; he has had a zeal for 
thy honor, and faithfully adored thee, his God, and 
the Creator of all things. 

Remember not, O Lord, we beseech thee, the sins 
and ignorances of his youth ; but according to thy 
great mercy be mindful of him in thy eternal glory. 
Let the heavens be open to him, and the angels rejoice 
with him. Keeeive, O Lord, thy servant into thy 
kingdom. Let the archangel St. Michael, the chief 
of the heavenly host, conduct him ; let the holy an- 
gels of God meet him, and bring him into the city of 
the heavenly Jerusalem ; may blessed Peter, the apos- 
tle to whom were given the keys of the kingdom of 
heaven, receive him ; may holy Paul, the apostle who 
was a vessel of election, help him ; may St. John, the 
beloA^ecl disciple to whom God revealed the secrets of 
heaven, intercede for him ; may all the holy apostles 
to whom was given the power of binding and loosing 
pray for him ; may all the blessed and chosen servants 
of God who in this world have suffered torments for 
the name of Christ pray for him, that, being delivered 
from this body of corruption, he ma}' be admitted 
into the kingdom of heaven, through the assistance 
and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and 
reigneth, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, world 
without end. Amen. 

If the sick party still continues in distress of agony, it may 
be proper for the assistants to continue on in prayer by re- 
peating what is above, or saying the penitential psalms. 



794 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



The soul being now departed, the following responsorv is 
said : 

COME to his assistance, all you saints of God ; 
meet him, all you angels of God ; receive his 
soul, and present it now before its Lord. May Jesus 
Christ receive thee, and the angels conduct thee to 
thy place of rest. May they receive his soul, and 
present it now before its Lord. 

II. Eternal rest grant him. O Lord, and let per- 
petual light shine upon him. May they present him 
now before his Lord. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. Our Father, &c. 
Fi And lead us not into temptation. 
H. But deliver us from evil. 
I 7 ". Eternal rest grant him. Lord. 
R. And let perpetual light shine upon him. 
V. From the gates of hell, 
JR. Deliver his soul. Lord. 
V. May he rest in peace, 
i?. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come to thee. 

Let us pray. 

TO thee. Lord, we recommend the soul of thy 
servant X., that, being dead to this world, he 
may live to thee : and whatever sins he has committed 
through human frailty, we beseech thee, in thy good- 
ness, mercifully to pardon, through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Then, for a conclusion, may be added the following prayer 

for the assistants : 

GRANT. O God. that while we here lament the 
departure of thy servant, we ma}' ever remem- 
ber that we are most certainly to follow him. Give 



FOR THE SICK, DYING-, DEAD, ETC. 



795 



us grace to prepare for that last hour by a good life, 
that we may Dot be surprised by sudden death, but 
be ever watching when thou shalt call, that so with 
the spouse we may enter into eternal glory, through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THANKSGIVING UPON RECOVERY. 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, I here acknowl- 
edge thy blessing in the recovery of my health, 
and return thee my hearty thanks for it. I beg thy 
grace for the making better use of it than hitherto I 
have done, that I may correct all the errors of my 
past life, that I may improve in virtue, be an example 
to others, and sanctify that health to thee which is 
now thy special gift, that, thus living to thee, I may 
ever be prepared for my last hour, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

TE DEUM. 
(See page 205.) 

BENEDICITE. 




LESS the Lord, O 1113' soul ; may he be praised 
1 and glorified forever. 



Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his 
benefits. 

Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers ; let praise 
and glory be given to him forever. 

I will praise thee, O my Gocl, while I live ; I will 
glorify thy holy name while I have my being. 

O, magnify the Lord with me, all ye holy angels ; 
praise him, all ye saints. 

I will bless the Lord at all times ; his praise shall 
be ever in my mouth. 

Give glory to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy 
endureth forever. 



796 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



Blessed he the name of the Lord, from henceforth, 
now. and forever. 

From the rising of the son unto the going down 
of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise. 

Glory be to the Father, ctv. 

A PRATER EOR DECEASED PARENTS. 

O ALMIGHTY GOD. my good Father, thou who 
gavest to us. in our parents, only a weak image 
of thy own tender solicitude and watchful providence 
over each of thy creatures, receive my fervent thanks- 
givings for all the blessings thou didst bestow on me 
in and through them, to whom, under thee. I am in- 
debted for my being. It was thou. O Lord, who 
gavest. and thou hast taken away : nor shall that 
stroke which deprived me of parents ( of a father, of 
a mother ) prevent my blessing thy holy name. I am 
not an orphan while I can call thee my Father, and 
look up with confidence to that blessed Virgin whom 
thy divine Son gave me for a Mother when expiring 
on the cross : on the contrary, the less resource I have 
on earth, the more, claim I have on thy protection, 
my good Father, who art in heaven. To thee. then. I 
raise my heart : into the arms of thy mercy I cast my 
whole being : with all the confidence of a child I run 
to thee, and implore thy protection in my journey 
through this wretched life. To thee I offer my most 
humble and fervent supplications for the repose of 1113' 
dear deceased parents. I trust. O my God. that they 
have found favor in thy sight, and that they now repose 
in thy bosom, and rejoice in thy adorable presence. 
But. O God of all holiness, if they be not as yet in 
possession of that glory for which they were created, 
if any stain of sin exclude them still from the king- 
dom where nothing defiled can enter. O. let the earnest 
prayer of their child prevail on their behalf. or, rather, 



FOR THE SICK. DYING. DEAD, ETC. 



797 



let the sacred blood which Jesus Christ shed for them 
cancel all their debts, and purify them from every 
stain. Give them. O my God. eternal rest for the 
sake of Him who died for them. Let perpetual light 
shine on them, and let the view of thy ancient beauty 
and adorable perfections fill them speedily with ineffa- 
ble joys. Hear my voice for them. O Lord, for they 
cannot now plead for themselves. Deign to give me, 
in the dear parents I have had on earth, protectors 
and advocates in heaven, and mercifully grant me the 
grace to dispose myself by a holy life for being re- 
united to them in a happy eternity, through the in- 
finite merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

A PRAYER FOR THE SOULS SUFFERING IX PURGATORY. 

It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, 
that they may he loosed from sins. — 2 Mach. xii. 46. 

OGOD of all consolation, sole Author of the sal- 
vation of souls, have mercy on those who suffer 
in purgatory. Look with compassion on the great- 
ness of their torments : they are more keenly devoured 
by their ardent desire of being united to thee than 
by the purging rlames wherein they are plunged. 
With them I adore thy avenging justice, and confess 
the equity of thy judgments. But since thou art 
pleased favorably to hear the prayers which the mem- 
bers of thy holy Church offer to thee in behalf of their 
brethren, graciously hear the supplications which I 
now address to thee for those suffering souls. Re- 
member. O Lord, thou art their father, and they are 
thy children. Forget the faults which, through the 
frailty of human nature = they have committed against 
thee during the course of their mortal pilgrimage. 
Adorable Jesus, Victim of propitiation both for the 
living and the dead, vouchsafe- in thy quality of Re- 
deemer, to apply the merits of thy passion and death 



798 



INSTRUCTIONS AND PRAYERS 



to the relief of those souls whom thou punishest as 
their sovereign Judge. Remember thy faithful fol- 
lowers and thy spouses. Let some drops of that 
precious blood which thou hast shed for their salva- 
tion flow on those devouring flames ; and let the infi- 
nite price of that sacred blood afford a full satisfaction 
for their offences. Deliver them, O most merciful 
God. from that place of darkness and torture, and 
call them to a place of refreshment, light, and peace. 
Grant them the possession of the sovereign good after 
which they so ardently sigh, and for which thou hast 
created them. Receive them into thy paternal bosom, 
where they will praise and love thee to all eternity. 
Amen. 

THE LITANY FOR THE DEAD. 

LORD, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on 
us. Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on the souls 

of the faithful departed. 
God the Son, the Redeemer of the world, have mer- 
cy, &c. 

God the Holy Ghost, have mercy. &c. 
Holy Trinity, one God. have mercy, &c. 
Holy Mary, pray for the souls, &c. 
Holy Mother of God. ^ 
Holv Virgin of virgins, . v v 

St. Michael, ! g£* 

All ye holy angels and archangels, 
.St. John the Baptist, 
St. Joseph, 

All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, 
St. Peter/ 
St. Paul, 
St. John. 

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, 



FOR THE SICK, DYING. DEAD. ETC. 



799 



"6 2 



St. Stephen, ] ^ g 

St. Lawrence, 
All ye holy martyrs, 
St. Gregory. 
St. Ambrose . 

All ye holy bishops and confessors, 
St. Mary Magdalen, 
St. Catharine. 

All ye holy virgins and widows. 
All ye saints of God. make intercession for the souls 

of the faithful departed. 
Be merciful ; spare them. O Lord. 
Be merciful ; hear them. O Lord. 
From ail evil, 
From thy wrath. 
From the flame of fire. 
From the region of the shadow of death, 
Through thy immaculate conception, 
Through thy nativity. 
Through thy most holy name, 
Through the multitude of thy tender mercies, 
Through thy most bitter passion. 
Through thy most sacred wounds, 
Through thy most precious blood, 
Through thy ignominious death, by which thou 

hast destroyed our death. 
We sinners do beseech thee to hear us. 
O thou who didst absolve the sinner woman, and ^ 

didst hear the prayer of the good thief. 
That thou vouchsafe to release our deceased 

parents, relations, and benefactors from the 

bonds of their sins, and from the punishment 

thereof, 

That thou vouchsafe to hasten the day of visiting 
thy faithful detained in the receptacles of sor- 
row. and transport them to the city of eternal % 
peace, — - J---JI 



800 



INSTRUCTIONS AXD PRAYERS 



That thou vouchsafe to shorten the time of expiation 
of their sins, and graciously admit them into the 
holy sanctuary, in which no unclean thing can 
enter, we beseech thee to hear us. 

That thou vouchsafe, through the prayers and alms 
of thy Church, and especially the inestimable sac- 
rifice of thy hoh' altar, to receive them into the 
tabernacles of rest, and to crown their longing- 
hopes with everlasting fruition, we beseech thee to 
hear us. 

Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us. 

O Lamb of God, who takest awa}' the sins of the 

world, give them rest. 
O Lamb of God, who takest awaj- the sins of the 

world, give them rest. 
O Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the 

world, give them eternal rest. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have inerc)' on us. 

Lord, have niercy on us. 
Our Father, &c. 

T 7 ". And lead us not into temptation. 

R. But deliver us from evil. Amen. 

V. From the gates of hell, 

R. Deliver their souls, O Lord. 

V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 

J 7 ". O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my supplication come unto thee. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faith- 
ful, give to the souls of thy servants departed the 
remission of all their sins, that, through pious sup- 
plicaticns, the)' may obtain the pardon which they 
have always desired, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Arnen. 



FOR THE SICK, DYING, DEAD, ETC. 



801 



God, the Giver of pardon, and the Lover of the 
salvation of men, we beseech thy clemency in behalf 
of our brethren, kinsfolks, and benefactors who have 
departed this life, that, by the intercession of the 
blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the saints, thou 
wouldest receive them into the joys of tlry everlast- 
ing kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

O God, whose property is always to have mercy, 
and to spare, be favorably propitious to the souls of 
thy servants, and grant them the remission of all their 
sins, that, being delivered from the bonds of this 
mortal life, they may be admitted to life everlasting, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

A PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL. 

GLOEIOUS St. Michael, prince of the heavenly 
host, who standest always ready to give assist- 
ance to the people of God, who didst fight with the 
dragon, the old serpent, and didst cast him out of 
heaven, and now valiantly defendest the Church of 
God, that the gates of hell ma}' never prevail against 
her, I earnestly entreat thee to assist me also in the 
painful and dangerous conflict which I have to sus- 
tain against the same formidable foe. Be with me, 
O might}' prince, that I may courageously fight and 
happily vanquish that proud dragon, whom thou hast, 
by the divine power, so gloriously overcome, and 
whom our powerful King, Jesus Christ, has, in our 
nature, so completely overthrown, to the end that, 
having triumphed over the enemy of my salvation, I 
may, with thee and the holy angels, praise the clem- 
ency of God, who, having refused mercy to the re- 
volted angels after their fall, has granted repentance 
and forgiveness to fallen man. 
51 



REFLECTIONS 



ox 

THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



There is no subject of reflection more fitted for persons 
of every degree, than the Passion and Death of Jesus our 
Redeemer. Therein sinners find trust and encouragement 
for their conversion, and just souls assistance and strength 
for their progress in virtue. Therein all find consolation 
amid their efforts, patience in adversities, refuge in tempta- 
tions, and every good for their souls. Here. then, is the pas- 
sion and deatli of our Redeemer presented in a few brief 
reflections, which may be used for each day of the week. 

FIRST REFLECTION. 

Jesus' Suffering merits our Love and Compassion. 

A GOD dies amid boundless sufferings and pains 
for mankind. How powerful a motive to oblige 
us to the tenderest compassion, to the strongest love ! 
Who is this God who submits to so many racking 
tortures? And men. what are they, that a God should 
suffer for them thus? My soul, this thought should 
absorb your affections. God is greatness itself, in- 
finite majesty itself, he is infinite Omnipotence. Man 
is misery itself, baseness itself, a most vile nothing. 
And vet. for love of this wretched nothingness. Jesus, 
the Son of God, sacrifices his precious life, and with 
agony expires transfixed upon a cross. Ah. how 
should we not love a God so loving and compassion- 
ate ! God so greatly desires the heart of man. that 
to gain it he spends the infinite treasure of his blood. 

802 



THE PASSION -OF JESUS CHRIST. 



803 



God so greatly thirsts for man's salvation, that to 
purchase it he reckons as cheaply spent a life of toils, 
of sufferings — a death of shame and pain. And 
thou. O my soul, wilt thou remain hard and unfeel- 
ing, with such tender proofs of the love of thy God 
in love with thee ? Wilt thou not melt with feelings 
of love and compassion? 

Ah, my dear Jesus, love of my soul, tell me. I 
beseech thee, wherefore suffer so much for me ! 
Wherefore shed the last drop of thy precious blood ? 
Wherefore sacrifice thy life? O love ! O love ! And 
shall I go so far in my ingratitude as to deny thee 
my love? Never, my dear Jesus, never. I will love 
thee henceforward with all my power ; this I prom- 
ise, O Lord ; this, with thy help. I shall perform. 

A God suffering — a God put to death for man. 
This has always been to pious souls the most abid- 
ing thought ; this has been always the most forcible 
and pressing motive for bringing their hearts to the 
love of the suffering Jesus, This thought — a God 
put to death for man — will be the great cause of the 
confusion and despair of the damned in hell. My 
soul, if thou refusest now to love and be grateful to 
a God. torn and languishing; for thee on a cross, de- 
servedlv wilt thou burn in the everlasting flames. 
Wouldst thou rather choose these tormenting flames 
than the sweet flames of love for thy suffering God? 
Ah, no ; resolve to consecrate thy whole heart to this 
loving Redeemer, who sacrificed himself wholly for 
thy salvation. Fix the eyes of thy mind upon thy 
crucified Lord, and say to thyself: Behold a God upon 
the cross for the love of me and for my benefit ! Be- 
hold his wounds, so man}' mouths bleeding piteously 
for compassion and love. 

Most amiable Lord, ah ! enkindle in my heart one 
spark of charity and compassion for thee. Let it 
never be said, my dear Redeemer, that this soul of 



804 



REFLECTIONS ON 



mine, which has cost thee so many pains, is lost. 
Too justly do I deserve hell for not having loved thee, 
and for having lived so forgetful of thee and thy suf- 
ferings ; but henceforth, O Lord, be thou the sole 
object of my love — and do thou engrave deeply upon 
my heart thy most bitter pains. 

SECOND REFLECTION. 
Jesus' Agony in the Garden. 

JESUS having entered the Garden of Gethsemane, 
there to begin his sorrowful passion, falls pros- 
trate on the ground, and begins his prayers. Ap- 
proach, my soul, thy blessed Redeemer, and meditate 
on the unspeakable anguish that his spirit experiences 
in this prayer. His soul is assailed by a mortal 
sadness, and such painful agonies as the human 
mind cannot conceive. Tormenting fears, sorrowful 
thoughts, and bitter anguish rend him interiorly. The 
most afflicted Jesus, being reduced to such a pitiable 
state, raises his tearful eyes to heaven, and asks for 
some comfort from his divine Father ; he turns to his 
disciples, and says, I am sorrowful even unto death, 
do not abandon me. The anguish of Jesus reaches 
its height ; his face grows pale ; he faints, and falls 
into a mortal agony. My soul, do thou at least has- 
ten with feelings of love and compassion to bring him 
some comfort in his afflictions. O Jesus, delight of 
the saints, joy of Paradise, consoler of the afliicted, 
wherefore endure such sorrow, an agony so painful ! 
Jesus brings himself to this in order to merit conso- 
lation for us in our troubles, and the endless jo}~s of 
heaven. What goodness, what love of Jesus for us ! 

Ah ! my dear Jesus, can I ever be forgetful of thy 
love? Can I ever thank thee sufficiently, O loving 
Saviour, for the mortal anguish thy soul has been 
pleased to endure for love of me ? Ah ! for pity's 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



805 



sake, cause thy sufferings to be so deeply impressed 
upon my soul that I may never forget them. 

Consider what were the painful objects that, like 
so many cruel executioners, afflicted the heart of 
Jesus. The first and most appalling were our sins. 
The vivid knowledge of all the sins of men, a sight 
of their enormity, a most intense horror of their ma- 
lignity, rilled his heart, pressed upon it with such 
piercing intensify, as to produce a sorrow and a sad- 
ness that can not be imagined. Jesus knows, and 
comprehends the entire malice and atrocity of sin, the 
enormity of the insult thereby offered to his heavenly 
Father ; and loving his Father with a supreme love, 
he experiences a grief so poignant, a horror so exces- 
sive of human wickedness — all portrayed before him 
in such deformity — that he is ready to expire of in- 
tense grief. The sins, then, of all men, past, present, 
and to come, were the cruel tormentors which rent 
without pity the sad heart of our agonizing Redeemer. 
My soul, what share had tlry misdeeds in embittering 
the heart of thy Jesus ? Those sins that seemed to 
thee once so trivial, agonized thy Jesus with unal- 
loyed grief. Those sins thou hast committed for 
amusement, for nothing, have barbarously rent the 
heart of Jesus. His sadness, his anguish, his agony, 
were increased by thy sins, by the malice of thy 
iniquities. O, how much less would Jesus have 
suffered, hadst thou but sinned less ! Ah ! weep bit- 
ter tears now for thy crimes, detest thy malice, and 
resolve never more to offend so loving a Redeemer. 

THIRD REFLECTION. 

Jesus scourged at the Pillar. 

PREPARE thyself, my soul, for affliction and 
tears, as thou comest to contemplate the fright- 
ful tortures practised on thy Redeemer. Enter a 



806 



REFLECTIONS ON 



moment, in thought, into the hall of Pilate, and look 
at that innocent Lamb given up to the ferocity and 
inhuman fury of those merciless enemies, to be tor- 
mented by them. God. what a cruel carnage is 
made of the virginal flesh of the Son of God T A 
shower of most furious blows rains down upon even- 
spot of his immaculate body from heavy lashes ; 
with such ferocity do they strike, that they rend his 
flesh, and open wounds in every part, and tear and 
strike into the very wounds again and again. What 
spectacle has heaven seen more pitiful than this? 
From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, 
he is all torn and wounded. The blood gushes out 
on every side, and already the pavement is covered 
with it. Look, my soul, at thy Jesus, torn, bleedings 
and all but expiring through the horrible torture in- 
flicted. See if there be any suffering like to his. 
Look, and read in these wounds the love that Jesus 
bears to thee, and conclude from this how much thou 
hast cost him. Oh, my most loving Redeemer, my 
most patient Jesus, hast thou purchased my soul at 
such a price? Graciously deign, dear Saviour, to 
impress upon my heart lively sentiments of love and 
compassion for thy sufferings, so that I may never 
forget what thou hast endured forme, and never cease 
to bewail my sins, which have caused thee so much 
grief. 

Consider, my soul, the feelings of the loving heart 
of Jesus in the midst of his scourging. He stands 
bound to a pillar, under countless stripes, like an in- 
nocent victim upon an altar, offering his bitter tor- 
ments for thee. He turns his pitiful looks now to the 
earth, now to heaven, to beg with their entreating ex- 
pression mercy from his eternal Father for the griev- 
ous sins I have committed. Behold, my soul, how 
Jesus sutlers, and what an example he gives thee of 
suffering profitably ! See how much thou art bound 



THE PASSI0X OF JESUS CHRIST. 



807 



to so loving a heart, which, in the midst of torments 
so excessive, only loves thee the more tenderly. 

I thank thee. O sweet Jesus, with my whole soul, 
for the pains thou hast endured for me in thy scourg- 
ing, and endured with so much patience and love. O 
Lord, great, indeed, is the love thou bearest me ; 
ardent, indeed, is the desire thou hast of my salvation. 
Ah ! grant that I may correspond with thy wishes ; 
grant, that so much blood be not shed for me in vain ; 
grant for pity's sake, grant that I may save my soul, 
which thou hast loved so intensely. Make me. dear 
Jesus, like thee in patience, in humility, in long- 
suffering ; give me grace to embrace with the spirit 
of true penance whatever shall happen to me pain- 
ful or afflictive ; let me always bear thee in mind, 
who has suffered so much to satisfy for my sins, 

FOURTH REFLECTION. 
Jesus crowned with TJioms. 

COXSLDEB how. the scourging being over, one 
torment succeeds another in racking our suffer- 
ing Lord. The executioners, with unheard-of cruelty, 
take a bundle of sharp thorns, and plaiting them 
together in the shape of a crown, they place them 
on his sacred head. They then pitilessly press them 
down with repeated blows, the points enter in. and, 
piercing the flesh and the nerves, cause spasms of 
pain to our blessed Jesus. Oh. what a horrible gar- 
land is this, my heart, and what intense pains must it 
cause the adorable head of our Eedeemer ! 

My soul, wilt thou go and crown thyself with roses 
after beholding thy God crowned with thorns ? Wilt 
thou refuse him some light suffering when he has 
been satiated with pains for thee? Ah. for once be 
ashamed of living in sensuality and sin, whilst thou 
seest thy King pierced with thorns ! 



808 



REFLECTIONS ON 



O my Jesus, the most aggrieved of all men. hy 
rigkt it is not on thine, but on my proud and guilty 
head, ought to be placed those thorns which pierced 
thy adorable temples. Yet. O most innocent Saviour, 
thou wouldst have thyself crowned with thorns, in 
order that thou mightest crown me with glory. I 
thank thee. O my God : and in order to become like 
thee, I shall try to endure the troubles and tribula- 
tions of the present life. I renounce forever pastimes 
and delights of earth, in order to follow thee, suffer- 
ing Redeemer. 

His tormentors, not content with deriding and in- 
sulting our afflicted Redeemer, and making him the 
butt of their sport, they cover his lace with spittle. 
Behold this most meek lamb in the midst of these 
savage men — his humble deportment — his cast- 
down look — bearing, with the most wonderful patience 
and profound humility, the greatest ignominies the 
perfidy of men can invent and offer. 

Consider why Jesus wished to be crowned with 
thorns. It was to blot out. by shedding of his blood, 
our sins of thought especially. He came down from 
heaven to wash out sin by his blood, to satisfy for it 
by his passion, and to abolish it by his death. One 
source of sin is the head : there are formed thoughts 
of impurity, of ambition, of injustice, of hatred, of 
revenge. It was meet, therefore, that his sacred head 
should pay their penalty by ignominy and pain. The 
love of Jesus could not allow this noble part of his 
sacred body to be without its particular torture. 
Hence it is that he willingly submits it to the piercing 
of the thorns. See. my soul, how this innocent vic- 
tim, destined to be immolated for thy sins, is entirely 
consumed by suffering. Recognize in these cruel 
thorns, which transfix his sacred head, the wicked 
effects of thy sinful thoughts. These have formed a 
more painful crown for Jesus' head than the thorns 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



809 



themselves. For these transfix the heart, the very 
soul, of Jesus. with the most intense pangs of agony. 
The thoughts of vanity, of self-conceit, of pride, of 
imparity, which have so often been formed and 
encouraged in thy mind, were the" cruel tormentors of 
the head of thy Jesus. Ah ! my heart, weep for 
grief, and pour out a torrent of tears for thy sins ; 
weep also with compassion and love for thy Saviour, 
who has paid so dearly for thy misdeeds. But. O ! 
never return to those abominable thoughts, which are 
so many additional thorns in Jesus' crown, and pierce 
anew his loving heart. 

FIFTH REFLECTION. 

Jesus takes ujp his Cross and goes to Calvary. 

THE unjust sentence of death is scareehy pro- 
nounced by the wicked judge against our inno- 
cent Saviour, when his enemies show the utmost 
eagerness to carry it into execution. Having put 
together in a short time a large and heavy cross, they 
presented it to the suffering and almost expiring Jesus 
as the instrument of his ignominious passion. Medi- 
tate, mv soul, with what thoughts our Saviour looks 
on. and with what feelings he embraces this painful 
■gibbet. Enter into the heart of Jesus, and see what 
thanks he offers his divine Father for having prepared 
for him a throne upon which, satiated with ignominies, 
he can extinguish the ardent thirst he has of suffering 
and dvins: for men. Observe with what love, with 
what zeal, he stretches forth his hands to embrace his 
beloved cross : he presses it. he kisses it. places it on 
his bleeding shoulders, that thereby he may convince 
us of the exquisite perfection of his love for us. 
"What dost thou say. my soul, at the sight of a love 
so strong, so generous? Thou vexest thyself at the 
slightest inconvenience. Thou shrinkest from, and 



810 



REFLECTIONS OX 



fiiest from the little crosses Jesus, from time to time, 
presentetii to thee. What resemblance canst thou 
ever claim to Jesus crucified, if there be nothing seen 
in thee but an abhorrence of suffering and mortifi- 
cations? Ah! unite thyself with Jesus in embracing 
the cross of troubles and afflictions, of evils and 
tribulations, all sanctified by Jesus having embraced 
his cross. 

The executioners, impatient to see the loving, and 
yet so much hated, Lord nailed to the cross, having 
loaded him with its weight, and bound him with ropes, 
they hastily drag him along to Calvary. Follow with 
thy heart and mind your suffering Jesus in his painful 
journey, and with sentiments of tender compassion 
bear his company. He, though fainting and weary 
by his agony, by the loss of so much blood, by so 
many stripes and blows, all torn and wounded, does 
not refuse to follow, with his heavy load, his enemies 
who hurry him up the hill. Our beloved Saviour 
proceeds, and although every step causes him new 
torture, yet conquering by its charity the weakness 
of his flesh, he hastens on. Consider, O my heart, 
how the whole way through which Jesus passes is 
stained with blood, until he is completely exhausted. 
The cross he bears is painful, heavy, and unjust, and 
yet he cheerfully carries it. inviting thee to carry your 
cross after him to Paradise. No cross will ever be 
so weighty or painful for thee as Jesus' was. Wilt 
thou, then, refuse to accept it from his hands? Wilt 
thou shrink from bearing it in his company ? Without 
the cross the way to heaven is not open to thee ; 
without the cross thou canst not be a follower of Jesus. 
Courage, then, and follow in his footsteps with cheer- 
fulness. Do not fear that he will not lighten its 
weight ; he will cheer thee and assist thee. 

Jesus, tottering under the heavy weight of his cross, 
and no longer able, from sheer weariness and faint- 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



811 



ness as well as the painfullness of his wounds, to hold 
out, falls under its weight. 

O most loving Jesus, thou art the true Son of God. 
the adorable Creator of heaven and earth — infinitely 
great and powerful. How is it, therefore, that thou 
languishest and fallest under the weight of the cross ? 
O Lord, what a terrible evil must sin be, since, when 
placed on thy divine shoulders, it makes thee fall to 
the earth for very horror ! The cross weighed thee 
down only when on the way to Calvary : but my sins 
have weighed on thee night and day during the whole 
of thy mortal life, painting thee with their deformity, 
and present to thy mind in all their malice. I am 
sorry for having committed them ; and would to God 
they had never been committed ! I thank thee for 
having, with so much love, taken upon thyself the 
burden of my sins, to free me from the chastisement 
due to them. I love thee, O loving Lord ; I love thee, 
my amiable Redeemer : I wish always to love thee, 
and never more to offend thee. 

SIXTH REFLECTION. 

Jesus nailed to the Cross. 

THE sorrowful Jesus having arrived with extreme 
difficulty on Calvary, the executioners strip him 
of his clothes, tearing them violently from his sacred 
body, to which they adhered closely by the wounds 
and clotted blood. Meditate. O my soul, what pain 
must have been caused to our suffering Lord in open- 
ing his wounds in this manner. Then say to thyself: 
Behold the repose that is given to my suffering 
Redeemer, after so long and painful a journey ! See 
the comfort they provide for him before his cruel 
crucifixion ! Jesus, the victim destined for the 
sacrifice, having received orders to lie down upon the 
gibbet prepared for him, in obedience and silence 



812 



REFLECTIONS ON 



lavs his bleeding body upon the altar of the cross, 
and sweetly presents his hands and feet to be nailed 
to this rough bed of death. Observe. O Christian 
sonl. thy Redeemer, how he raises his eyes to heaven, 
and. with sublime sentiments of humility and submis- 
sion, offers himself in sacrifice to his eternal Father 
for thy salvation. 0. how much dost thou owe Jesus : 
and at the same time how ungrateful and insensible 
art thou in return ! The executioners draw near, 
and with rough nails, by the blows of heavy hammers, 
they pierce through the hands and feet of our beloved 
Redeemer. The spasms of pain that Jesus then 
endured at this new torture cannot be described for 
intensity : we can only compassionate them with tear-. 
His flesh is rent with awful wounds : the nerves , the 
veins, the arteries are wrenched asunder. The more 
the nails are driven the wider are the wounds made, 
until four rivers of blood flow from his hands and 
feet, to wash our souls from the filth of sin. In what, 
my soul, have these hands and feet of thy dear Jesus 
sinned, that they should be subject to such torture? 
Ask not the innocent Jesus, but ask thyself. On 
account of thy wicked and sinful actions, on account 
of the steps thou hast taken in the way of evil. Jesus' 
hands and feet are pierced. To satisfy for the abuse 
thou hast made of thy liberty. Jesus is nailed to the 
cross. Look upon thy Saviour fixed to this hard 
wood, to which the vehemence of his love for thee 
and obedience to his divine Father, far more than the 
nails, keep him attached. Ah ! if thou hadst loved 
thy God thou wouldst have subjected thyself to the 
hardest obedience, thou wouldst not have violated his 
holy law. thou wouldst have crucified thy rebellions 
flesh by mortification and penance, rather than offend 
the Lord and Father. Resolve to-day. at the foot of 
the crucifix, to do so. 

My crucified Redeemer, I adore thee, I love thee, 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



813 



I thank thee. I kiss reverently those hands and feet 
nailed for me to the painful tree of the cross. I de- 
test, with all my heart, my many offences against thy 
infinite goodness : and I beseech thee to blot them 
out with this precious blood which flows so copiously 
from thy wounds for my salvation. Pour it. dear 
Jesus, upon my soul, that it may be purified and 
sanctified by it. and may become, through thy merits, 
rich in virtue and heavenly gifts. Bless me. O loving 
Saviour, with those hands which are pierced for my 
love, and let thy blessing be an earnest of my eternal 
salvation. So fill my heart with thy divine love, that 
every love which is not for thee may be completely 
extinguished in me ; and that I may have no other 
wish but that of pleasing thee. O infinite good, my 
crucified love, thee alone do I wish to love, thee alone 
do I wish to please, in my every thought, and in my 
every action. 

SEVENTH REFLECTION. 

Jesus' Agony and, Death. 

THREE hours did our loving Redeemer hang 
nailed to the cross to satisfy the divine justice 
for the sins of men : and during that time he did 
nothing but writhe and suffer in fearful agony, without 
the least consolation. Before Jesus dies, come near, 
my soul, reverently to his cross, to meditate on and 
compassionate his last pains. Look at his tearful 
eyes, his pallid features, his livid, pierced limbs, his 
whole body, with life ebbing out of it by slow degrees 
of pain. Observe his loving heart, how its palpita- 
tion grows weaker, how the divine blood no longer 
flows, but issues drop by drop. Observe how his 
adorable head, being no longer able to keep up for 
weakness and pain, slowly and sweetly droops, as if 
to give the last kiss of peace and reconciliation to 



814 



REFLECTIONS ON 



men, and thereby assure them of his love. Consider 
how his soul, merged in a sea of bitter sadness, is 
about leaving his exhausted, bleeding body. What 
does thy heart feel at such a sight ? Does it not feel 
itself moved by love and compassion for thy dear 
Spouse — thy loving Brother, who is dying for love 
of thee? Wilt thou be harder than the rocks, which, 
at the death of their Creator, burst asunder, as it 
were, for pity? Look again, for the last time. O my 
soul, upon thy Redeemer, alive upon his bed of tor- 
ment, upon his throne of ignominy, and reflect that 
this God of infinite majesty is dying for thee, a mon- 
ster of ingratitude, so guilty, so wicked. Yes, a God 
dies for thee — dies for the love of thee. Arouse 
tlryself, and come with confidence and love to the 
throne of his goodness, and see, in thy dying Saviour, 
what thy sins have done. Consider what thou hast 
cost Jesus, and what thou owest him. Thou hast 
cost the life of a God ! Thou owest thy whole self 
to a God who has so loved thee as to lay down his 
life for thee. Ah I consecrate thyself speedily to the 
service and love of thy dying Lord. Tell him and 
declare to him, that thou never again wilt offend so 
loving a Father, so good a God. 

O Saviour of men, to what extremes has thy love 
brought thee ! Oh, excess of the divine mercy ! Oh, 
infinite greatness of the love of God ! And what 
shall I do, O Saviour, to correspond with so much, 
such excessive love? I thank thee with my whole 
soul for having willed to die for me, and save me 
from the eternal pains of hell. I thank thy loving- 
heart for having loved me so tenderly, and having 
shed so much blood to blot out my sins, and merit 
heaven for me. I am sorry for having loved thee so 
little, my Saviour, up to this, for having corresponded 
so little, nay, returned injuries for thy goodness. I 
wish and resolve to love thee with my whole heart. 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHHIST. 



815 



I wish and resolve never more to forget thee crucified 
for me. 

Consider the thoughts and affections of the loving 
heart of the dying Jesus. This great High Priest 
remains upon the altar of the cross, offering, with 
infinite love, the great sacrifice of himself for the sal- 
vation of men. Then his mind, his heart, was en- 
tirely occupied in beseeching his Father, with sighs 
and groans, to pardon sinners, and you among them. 
He besought him. with most feeling tenderness, not 
to regard the demerits, the ingratitude of men. but 
his own sulferings. his wounds, and the sacrifice of 
his life. At the same time he loved men so much as 
to declare that he died joyfully, and was ready to 
suffer more, and shed more blood, if possible, for their 
sakes. He pressed all men to his bosom, with the 
binning desire of making ail partakers of his death 
and passion. He tenderly compassionated their mis- 
eries, and prepared a bath of his own divine blood 
for the wounds of their souls. To men he left as an 
inheritance, the infinite treasure of bis merits, of his 
labors, his sufferings, and his death, that they might 
therewith be enriched with heavenly gifts, and pur- 
chase to themselves the glory of Paradise. One thing 
alone remained to Jesus dying, and that was his be- 
loved mother, Mary : her. too, he left in legacy, as a 
loving mother to all men. Oh. love of Jesus for 
men ! What more could Jesus have done for you ? 
V> nat more could he have given you, after he had 
given you himself, and shed the last drop of blood 
from his veins for you ? Oh, how much are you un- 
der obligation to this divine Redeemer ! On account 
of him and of his death, you have been made an 
adopted child of God. destined to the inheritance of 
heaven, and have had your sins pardoned so many 
times. Through Jesus you have enjo}~ed so man}' 
good things, so man}' graces, and would have obtained 



816 



REFLECTIONS OH 



many more if you bad not ungratefully refused to 
accept them, and despised them. Through Jesus you 
hope to have a share in the endless happiness of the 
saints. Through Jesus you are not now in hell, 
where you deserved to he so often. See now. if Je- 
sus, dying on the cross, does not love you specially ; 
he prays particularly for you, and entreats his Father 
for singular favors for you ! And you. how do you 
love Jesus? How have you at heart the giving of 
him pleasure, by a virtuous and Christian life, by 
works of piety and of mercy, by the faithful practice 
of his teaching? A friend who loves you. and be- 
stows a gift on you now and again, can bind your 
heart to his. and fill you with love for him ; and Jesus 
who has loved you so much, bestowed so many price- 
less blessings on you. who is dying on a cross for 
you. can not gain a little of your love ! Ah ! before 
he expires, beg of him to place your heart in his. and 
inflame it with love in this burning furnace of charity. 
Beseech him to detach it from all earthly affections, 
so that it may be wholly consecrated to the love of 
Jesus — Jesus crucified. 

I would offer thee something, my most amiable and 
agonizing Redeemer, in return for so much love, for 
so many blessings : but I have nothing but a soul 
covered with the leprosy of sin. and a cold, carnal 
heart. This is the soul which thou hast loved even 
unto death, and for which thou hast shed thy blood. 
This soul I offer thee, that thou may est purity it. 
sanctify it. and make it worthy of thee. I otter thee 
my heart, that thou mayest cleanse it from its guilty 
passions, from its evil affections, and inflame it en- 
tirely with thy love. Bind me. press me to thyself, 
so that I may never more be separated from thee. 
The world, creatures, earth, shall rob me no more of 
my heart : thou alone wilt for ever be the God of my 
heart ; thee alone shall I love henceforth. Take 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



817 



away from my heart eveiy affection that might pos- 
sibly Hinder me from loving thee, and cause, b}' thy 
powerful grace, that all my love may be for thee, my 
crucified lover. 

Now that the last moment of his mortal existence 
is drawing nigh, Jesus collects the last efforts of his 
weak and exhausted spirits, and, in a dying voice, 
commends his soul into the hands of his eternal Fa- 
ther. He offers himself once more as a victim to the 
divine justice for the salvation of men ; he bows his 
languid head in token of the profound submission 
with which he accepts death : he shuts his divine 
eyes, and between the arms of the cross gives up the 
ghost. Jesus is dead ! After so many and such 
cruel tortures, being satiated with reproach and igno- 
mhry, and drowned in an ocean of suffering — Jesus 
dies ! The loving Jesus, consumed no less by the 
atrocity of his pains than by the fire of his love, dies ! 
Oh ! which of us who has to live can wish to live for 
aught than solely to love our Jesus ? Which cf us, 
who has to suffer, would not wish to suffer for the 
love of Jesus ? Who will refuse to stand at the foot 
of the cross, to contemplate and love his beloved 
crucified, to lament the sins that made him die. and 
die of grief for Jesus, and with Jesus? Jesus dies 
for our sins : who will be so cruel, so inhuman, as to 
renew his death by sinning again ? This most loving 
shepherd dies, to give his life for his dear sheep, who 
will be so ungrateful as to take no share in his sor- 
rows, in his death? Who at the sight of a God dead 
of love and sorrow, can give himself up a pre}^ to the 
foolish pleasures of the world, to vanities, frivolities, 
and sin? Ah, my Jesus, Calvary will be for the 
future my sojourn ; thy death shall be the continual 
subject of my reflections, my feelings, and my tears. 
At the death of Jesus, the sky is darkened, the sun 
eclipsed, the earth quakes, the mountains split open, 
52 



818 



REFLECTIONS OK 



the veil of the temple is rent, all nature seems con- 
Tiilsed with desolation at the sight of a God dying. 
And thou, my soul, wilt thou be insensible to so sad 
and fearful a spectacle? Will not thy heart also 
heave and burst with tenderness and sorrow? Look 
upon the lifeless and torn body of thy dead Saviour, 
and know for once what an evil sin is. since it has 
done this deed. What a blessing Paradise is. which 
has cost such a price ! What is thy own worth and 
value, since so much has been given for thy redemp- 
tion? Oh. what a crying injustice wilt thou be guilty 
of if thou continuest to love the devil, the world, and 
sin, instead of this God. dead upon the cross for thee ? 
Oh. how monstrous must be thy hardness of heart, if 
thou be not moved to compassion and tears at such a 
sight ! Consider well, my soul, that the devil has 
not died for thee, the world has not shed one drop of 
blood for thee : therefore not to them, but to him 
who did this for thee, dost thou belong. Jesus thou 
oughtest to love, for Jesus thou oughtest to live, 
Jesus' servant thou oughtest to be. Resolve to be so 
this moment. 

O Jesus, crucified and dead for the love of me, 
thou alone art infinitely amiable and worthy of all love. 
I do not intend to love the world any more ; I do not 
wish to love creatures ; I wish to love only thee, who 
hast loved me so excessively. Thee I choose for the 
sole and eternal object of my whole love. I wish to 
think always of thee, of thee suffering and dying for 
my sake. To thee shall I raise up my sighs, to thee 
shall I breathe my affections, to thee shall I direct 
my desires, nor shall this heart of mine ever long but 
for thee, to whom I now offer and consecrate it. I 
am resolved never more, dear Jesus, to offend thee, 
never more to displease thee. Oh, how it grieves me 
to have lived so long, forgetful of thee, a stranger to 
thee, an enemy to thee, who hast loved me with a love 



THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



819 



so boundless ! I do not deserve to live any longer ; 
but if thy goodness deigns to prolong my life, it shall 
all be employed in loving thee, in meditating on thy 
sufferings, in bewailing" my sins. Here. O Jesus, is 
my soul ; since it has been dearly purchased by thee, 
make it to be thine forever, and do not let me ever 
again abandon it to the devil and to sin. which I hate 
and detest above all evils, and never shall commit, 
even at the peril of my life. 

PIOUS PRACTICE. 

LOOK often on your crucifix, kiss lovingly and 
reverently the sacred wounds, and press it to 
your heart. Consecrate yourself to-day to meditating 
in a more particular manner on the death Jesus en- 
dured for your sake. Abstain from some useless 
diversion, and sacrifice it to Jesus. When going to 
rest, think in what state you would wish to be found 
at the hour of death, and if you be not in that state 
now. try to regain, as soon as possible, the grace and 
friendship of Almighty God, and ask of Jesus, through 
the merits of his painful death, to give you the grace 
of a holy death. 



I 2s T D E X . 

A. 

PAGE 

Abstinence, days of 22 

Acts of contrition, faith, hope, and charity 127 

before communion 479 

of reparation to the Holy Virgin 589 

of consecration to the Holy Virgin 590 

of filial reverence to the Holy Virgin 591 

of dedication to the Holy Virgin 626 

of morning and evening devotion to the Holy Virgin .... 627 

in honor of the month of the Holy Virgin 629 

Alovsius, St., devotion to 683 

six Sundays of 691 

B. 

Baptism, directions relative to 72 

Bell, why rung at mass 165 

Blessed Sacrament, benediction of 426 

prayers for visits to the 498 

devotion in presence of the 505 

visits to the 586 

Blessed Virgin, her seven joys in heaven 586 

c 

Candles on the altar, their meaning , 164 

Catholic Faith, profession of 74 

Catholic Religion, exposition of 25 

Church, the true 25 

its unity 26 

its sanctity 29 

821 



822 



INDEX. 



Church, its universality 31 

its infallibility 32 

its apostolicity 32 

its ordinances and constitutions 36 

Commandments of God 23 

of the Church 23 

Communion in one kind 4 3 

devotions before 470 

devotions after 4Si> 

aspirations after 4<>5 

Complin 117 

Confession, devotions before 440 

devotions after 4G0 

Conscience, examination of 457 

Cross, on the sign of 77 

Crucifix, why on the altar Iu4 



E. 

Ember Days 22 

Epistles and Gospels 212 



F. 

Fasting Days of Obligation 21 

Feasts, table of movable 8 



H. 

Holy Days of Obligation 21 

Holy Water, its utility and antiquity 165 

Hymns and Anthems : 

Adeste fideles Hearts truly grateful 38fi 

Ad regias Agni 2s ow at the Lamb's 3U5 

Alma Kedemptoris ...... Mother of Jesus 354 

Auctorbeate sascuii Jesus, Creator of the world . . 403 

Audi benigne conditor .... Thou loving Maker 389 

Ave maris stella Brig-ht Mother 3G1 

Ave Regina Hail Mary £55 

Ave, verum corpus ...... Hail, real body 432 

Christe sanctorum O Christ, the beauty of .... 404 

Creator alme siderum Creator of the starry frame . . 3S2 



INDEX. 



823 



Hymns and Anthems: 
Crudelis H erodes . . . 
Custocles hominum . . 
Decora lux aeternitatis 
Deus tuorum militum . 
Exultet orbis gaudiis . 
Fortem virili pectcre . 
Iste confessor Domini 
Jam sol recedit igneus 
Jesu, corona virginum 
Jesu dulcis memoria . 
Jesu Kedemptor . . . 

Lucis Creator 

Miris modis repente . 

O fllfi et filiae 

O Jesu, Deus mngne . 
O quot uuciis lacrymarum 
O salutaris hostia . 

O sanctissima 

Pange lingua gloriosi . 
Pauis angelicus .... 
Placare, Christe servulii 
Quicumque Christum . 
Quodcumque in orbe . 

Regina cceli 

Kex gloriose martyrum 
Salutis humanse Sator 
Salve Kegina .... 
Salve mundi Domiua 
Salve Virgo sapiens 
Salve area foederis . 
Salve Virgo puerpera 
Salve horologium . . 
Salve urbis refugii . 
Salve Virgo florens . 
Sanctorum meritis . 
Stabat Mater dolorosa 
Te Joseph celebrant 
Te splendor et virtus 
Tibi, Christe, splendor 
Tristes erant apostoli 
Ut queant laxis . . . 
Veni Creator Spiritus 
Vexilla Regis prodeant 



. O cruel Herod 387 

. Praise we those 412 

. Bathed in eternities 408 

. O thou of all the warriors . . . 371 

. Now let the earth 367 

. High let us all 379 

. The confessor of Christ .... 375 

. Now doth the fiery sun .... 400 

. Thou crown of all 378 

. Jesus the very thought .... 388 

. Jesus, Redeemer of 385 

. O great Creator 351 

. The Lord commands 416 

. Young men and maids 394 

. O Jesus, blessed Saviour . . . 433 

. What a sea of tears 410 

. O saving host 431 

. O most holy 433 

. Sing, my tongue 401 

. The bread of angels 431 

. O Christ, thy people spare . . 381 

. All ye who seek 409 

. Peter, whosoever thou .... 415 

. O Queen of heaven 356 

. O thou, the martyrs 372 

. O thou pure light 397 

. Hail, O Queen 357 

. Hail, Queen of the heavens . . 504 

. Hail, Virgin most wise .... 566 

. Hail, Solomon's throne .... 56? 

. Hail, Virgin Mother 5<i8 

. Hail, dial of Achaz n70 

. Hail, city of refuge 569 

. Hail, Mother most pure .... 571 

. Sing we the peerless 373 

. At the cross her station .... 391 

. Joseph, pure spouse 405 

. O Jesu, lifespring 413 

. Jesus, brightness of 414 

. When Christ 369 

. Unloose, great Baptist 407 

. Come, O Creator Spirit .... 398 

. Forth comes the standard . . . 390 



824 



INDEX. 



I. 



Immaculate Conception, little office of 563 

Indulgences, instructions upon 64 

for intentions of gaining 493 

J. 

Joseph, St., chaplet of 674 

oblation to 674 

seven sorrows aud seven joys of 675 

memorare to 677 

patron of the Church . 678 

aspirations for every day 680 

consecration of the family to 6S2 

L. 

Life, short regulation of 124 

rules for every day 124 

rules for every week, month, and year 125 

Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus 85 

of the Blessed Virgin 119 

of the Blessed Sacrament 521 

of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 550 

of the Infant Jesus . 555 

of the Immaculate Conception 572 

of our Lady of Lourdes 601 

of the Sacred Heart of Mary 625 

of the Dolors of the Blessed Virgin 631 

of St. Joseph 667 

of St. Aloysius 684 

of St. Patrick 711 

of the Saints 721 

of the Blessed Trinity 730 

of the Holy Angels 771 

for obtaining a good death 774 

for a soul departing 701 

for the dead 798 



index. 825 
M. 

Mass, the Scripture proof of 48 

instructions upon 157 

explanation of vestments 163 

color of vestments 164 

devotions for 1Gb" 

prayers before 163 

prayers at commencement of , . . 170 

for day of communion 195 

Meditation, instruction upon 93 

on our creation 95 

end of our creation 97 

benefits of God 99 

on sin 101 

on death 103 

on judgment . , . . 105 

on hell 107 

on heaven 10S 

choice of heaven . 110 

choice of a devout life 112 

on the Passion of our Saviour 740 

N. 

NOVENAS, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 543 

to the Infant Jesus 554 

in honor of the name of Jesus . 559 

to the Holy Ghost . . 5C0 

of the Immaculate Conception . 575 

for the Nativity 576 

for the Presentation 577 

for the Annunciation 573 

for the Visitation . 5^0 

for the Purification 581 

of the Seven Dolors 582 

for the Assumption 584 

of the Seven Joys 586 

to our Lady of Lourdes 597 

for the Scapular , 654 

to St. Joseph 609 

of St. Aloysius 689 

to St. Patrick 708 



826 



INDEX. 



P. 



Passion of Jesus Christ, reflections on the 802 

1. Jesus' suffering- 802 

2. Jesus' agony 804 

3. Jesus scourged 805 

4. Jesus crowned with thorns .... 807 

5. Jesus takes up his Cross 809 

6. Jesus nailed to the Cross 811 

7. Jesus' agony and death 813 

Pious Practice 819 

Penance, the Sacrament of 434 

Prayer, necessity of 3 

for guidance into truth 70 

for another's conversion 71 

Morning 81 

for our nation 89 

to our angel guardian and patron saint 91 

at striking of the hour, at approach of temptations before 

a crucifix, and before and after meals 92 

Evening 115 

for all things necessary for salvation 128 

for Sunday, to the Blessed Trinity 130 

for Monday, for souls in purgatory 131 

for Tuesday, Angel Guardian and St. Michael 132 

for Wednesday, to St. Joseph 133 

for Thursday, to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament .... 134 

for Friday, to Jesus suffering 135 

for Saturday, to the Blessed Virgin 136 

at the beginning of an undertaking 138 

prosperous event or disastrous issue 138 

under temptation 139 

submission and confidence , 139 

to obtain final perseverance UO 

for the Church and intentions in time of a jubilee .... 141 

for choice of a state of life 141 

for parents 144 

for a husband or wife 145 

for widows, 146 

of children for their parents 147 

to our patron of baptism 148 

for one's confessor 148 

for a wife previous to becoming a mother 149 

after the birth of a child 150 



index. 827 

Prayer, renewing- promises of baptism 151 

on our birthday 152 

for those who wear an Agnus Dei 153 

for the Pope and for the Church 154 

for the Church and ruling- powers 155 

to the Holy Ghost 502 

for obtaining love of the Blessed Virgin 587 

to our Lady of Peace 5^8 

to our Lndy of Consolation 583 

to our Blessed Lady, for daily necessities 592 

to our Lady of Perpetual Help 593 

to our Lady of Lourdes 506 

for perseverance in devotion 590 

a way of asking our Lady's blessing 591 

of St. Bernard, memorare 592 

short indulgenced prayers 603 

paraphrase on the Lord's 737 

thirty days in honor of Christ's Passion 745 

thirty days to the Blessed Virgin 748 

association for conversion of others 752 

of St. Bridget, in honor of Christ's sacred wounds . . . 753 

to Jesus, suffering for mankind 757 

in time of sickness 774 

of St. Vincent for a happy death 778 

before receiving the Viaticum 779 

before and after Extreme Unction 781 

other short admonitions 785 

of St. Jerome, in time of agony 786 

recommendation of a soul departing 791 

of thanksgiving upon recovery , 705 

for deceased parents 796 

for souls suffering in purgatory 7<>7 

Psalms : 

Beati omnes Blessed are all 400 

Beatus vir Blessed is the man 3(6 

Confitebor tibi Domine . . . . I will praise the Lord 344 

Credidi propter quod I have believed 363 

Cum invocarum When I called upon him . . . . 419 

De profundis clamavi Out of the depths ....... 384 

Deus in adjutorium O God, come to my 7^7 

Dixit Dominus The Lord said to my Lord , . . 343 

Domine, probasti me Lord, thou hast proved .... 365 

Ecce nunc benedicite Behold now, bless ye 4'22 

In convertendo Dominus , . , When the Lord brought .... 364 



828 



IXDEX. 



Psalms : 

In exitu Israel When the Lord went out . . . 348 

In te, Domine, speravi . . . . In thee, O Lord, have I .... 4:20 

Lsetatus sum in his I rejoiced in the tilings 358 

Lauda Jerusalem Praise the Lord 3G0 

Laudate Dominum O, praise the Lord 350 

Laudate pueri Dominum . . . Praise the Lord :;47 

Magnificat— Canticle My soul doth magnify 352 

Memento Domine O Lord, remember 37o 

Isisi Dominus Unless the Lord build . . . . . 359 

Nunc diinittis Now Thou dost dismiss .... 4:24 

Qui habitat in adjutorio . . . . He that dwelleth in 421 

Seven Penitential Psalms. 

O Lord, rebuke me not, vi 713 

Blessed are they whose iniquities, xxxi 714 

Rebuke me not, O Lord, xxxvii 714 

Have mercy on me, O God, 1 , . . . . 71G 

Hear, O Lord, my prayer, cl 717 

Out of the depths I have cried, exxix 719 

Hear, O Lord, cxlii 710 

Purgatory, Scripture proof of 51 



E. 

Reflections on the sufferings of Jesus 802 

Regina Cozli 88 

Rosary of the Blessed Virgin 533 

of the Confraternity of the Living 044 



s. 



Sacred Heart of Jesus, devotions to 528 

before a picture of 531 

admission to Confraternity 531 

consecration to 532 

reparation of honor to 533 

prayer of St. Gertrude to 534 

acts of adoration to S^.G 

Rosary of 541 

an oblation to ." 54 > 

invocation of 54S 

prayer of Blessed Margaret Mary . . 540 

prayer of St. Alphonsus de Liguori . 553 



INDEX. 829 

Sacred Heart of Mary, devotions to . , f>06 

act of reparation 610 

act of consecration 611 

prayer of St. Gertrude to Q12 

act of oblation to 614 

office of 615 

Sacraments, the Seven 39 

Saints, invocation of 5'.) 

Scripture and Tradition ?A 

Scapular, instructions on 647 

Sick, duties to be attended to 774 

profession to be made by , 774 

duties of an assistant 787 

Supremacy of St. Peter and Successors . 07 

• T. 

Te Deum, hymn of thanksgiving- 205 

Tradition, ecclesiastical and apostolical . . . . 35 

Transubstantiation 44 

V. 

Vespers for Sundays 345 

for Christmas 384 

for Easter , 394 

for Ascension ?>17 

for Pentecost 3G8 

for Corpus Christ i 400 

for Festivals of Blessed Virgin 358 

for Festivals of Apostles 363 

for Festivals of Martyrs 371 

for Festivals of Confessors 375 

for Festivals of Virgins 378 

for Festivals of Holy Women 370 

for Festivals of All Saints 381 

Via Crucjs, or Prayers for the Stations 759 

Water, Holy, instructions on 165 



PRAYER 



IN BEHALF OF EDITORS AXD CATHOLIC PUBLISHERS. 



DIVIXE Heart of Jesus. I offer to Thee, through 
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, all my prayers, 
actions, and sufferings of this day. for the same in- 
tentions for which Thou dost daily offer Thyself a 
victim on our altars. I offer them to Thee, in par- 
ticular, for our writers who, placed as they are in the 
vanguard, are every moment called upon to beat off 
the ever-renewed attacks of Thy enemies. Bless, 
divine Saviour, their labors, and raise up to them 
helpers in their work : and never suffer that our ene- 
mies in their efforts to kill, show more zeal than we 
in our endeavors to save. Amen. 



ORD Jesus, shield with the protection of Thy 



^ divine Heart our Holy Father the Pope. 
Hearts of Jesus and Mary, save the Church. 
Forty days' indulgence. 



Let us pray for the Pope. 




830 



m 
f 



